Unforgettable Memory
by Nalciel
Summary: Sakura's cart crashes into prince Xiao Lang Li and Sakura loses all of her memories.Syaoran takes her into his castle in order to make her life miserable for leaving scar on his face,but can his judgment be wrong?And what happens when her memories return?
1. The Judgment

**DISCLAIMER:** **I do not own CCS.**

**A/N: First chappy! Enjoy everyone! (I updated it a bit, due to it being too short…)**

* * *

**Chapter 1 – The Judgment**

Sakura opened her eyes and tried to get up, but instantly fell on her back as the sharp pain pierced her head. She let out a weak "oww" and tried to look around without making a lot of movements.

Sakura was lying in a small cart full of hay; the stalks of dry grass were partly stuck in her short auburn hair and some particular straws tickled her nose and got under the thin white cotton shirt she was wearing. There also was a brown horse, which was harnessed to a cart, occasionally swaying its tail from side to side to wave off annoying insects.

The landscape around her seemed unfamiliar with a dark edge of the mixed forest, blackening the ground with its shadows, a rhythmical sound of the river flow beyond the hill-top and rutted clay-red country road which seemed to lead into the infinity behind the horizon.

Sakura tried to remember where she was or even how she ended up here, but couldn't and so she stopped trying and closed her expressive emerald eyes, hoping to sleep until she felt better and only then would she judge her situation.

"Look who's awakened!" she heard a sarcastic voice coming from beside her. She turned her head and saw a young man with chestnut hair and amber eyes glaring at her. His face was unfamiliar to her, but she had to admit that he was pretty handsome. He wore a black shirt with golden pattern on its neckline and cuffs and a pair of black pantaloons which were covered in dust and ripped on the left knee. Sakura also noticed blood oozing from a fresh big scratch near temple on the left side of his face which threatened to leave impressive scar once it had healed.

Sakura jumped down from the cart and examined the wound from the distance, then quietly said "You are bleeding." She sounded very concerned, but the young man just sneered at her "Oh, so you've noticed."

Sakura was a little surprised at his rudeness, but didn't show it. "Please let me treat your wound, it is not dangerous, but if-", she was about to touch the skin beside the wound to make sure it wasn't swelling, but a pair of hands pushed her back with force and she fell down on the ground.

"How dare you intent to touch me? You are just a lowly peasant unworthy of my company. I do not need your pity, or your help," he insolently grabbed her wrist, pulled her back on her feet and dragged her to a black saddled horse which stood at the side of the road.

"Where are you taking me?" Sakura whispered afraid to anger him even more.

"You are to come with me to my castle, where you will be judged for what you have done. You will not disobey me, for if you do, I will make sure you get ten whips in the back," the young man answered with a smirk on his face. Sakura's eyes widened, but somehow she was unable to answer back or ask what she has done and who this person in front of her was.

The young man, who seemed to be just a little older than her, easily pushed her up on the horse and sat behind her, holding the reins. Then his feet lightly pressed on horse's sides and the horse began to stroll down the hill and then switched on gallop.

Now they were moving really quickly and everything in Sakura's head merged into one huge grey spot; the sharp headache reminded about itself and Sakura began to fall into darkness.

**::~::**

She awoke, feeling something cold softly touching her forehead and temples. She opened her eyes and saw that she was lying on the bed and a beautiful girl with dark violet hair and kind amethyst eyes sat beside her on the chair looking at Sakura with concern and care.

"You must be really thirsty, poor girl," the young woman handed her a glass of water and watched her as Sakura drank it, greedily taking in every mouthful.

"Can you talk?" the girl asked. Sakura nodded, but stayed silent.

"You can call me Tomoyo," Tomoyo stood up from her seat and loudly called her maid, who instantly disappeared behind the door once Tomoyo gave her some instructions, and then she moved across the room, taking a plain brown dress in her hands. "I will help you to change into this for your judgment in the main hall. His Highness intended to wait until you are fully recovered, but it has already been two days since you've been brought here and he cannot wait any longer. Can you try standing up?"

Sakura's heartbeat accelerated as she stood up from the bed "I am going to be judged? But for what? I've have not done anything." Then she realized what Tomoyo had just said. Sakura was unconscious for _two days_. She touched her head and found a little bump that was still hurting.

"I do not know any details," Tomoyo said thoughtfully "but His Highness must be really angry with you – why else would he conduct a judgment for a little girl like yourself?.. Please forgive me my rudeness, sweetheart, but may I ask what is your name?"

Sakura wanted to answer, but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. It was Tomoyo's maid.

"The girl has been ordered to come to the main hall right now, no matter the condition she's in."

"Thank you, Ine. She will be there in a few minutes. You may go now," Tomoyo made a gesture and the maid immediately closed the door shut. Tomoyo helped Sakura to wash her face, comb her hair and to get into a dress.

"I guess that's it," she announced. "Let's go."

Sakura followed after Tomoyo. They were walking in a corridor; Sakura noticed that there was nothing fancy or luxurious – this wing of the castle must've been used by maids and servants only, although Sakura couldn't quite point out whether Tomoyo was another maid or not. She was wearing a plain dark blue dress – no unnecessary patterns or gems – but it was elegant and the fabric seemed to be softer and more delicate than on the dress Sakura was wearing. Tomoyo's beautiful violet hair was decorated by a small hair-pin with a silver lily and she was wearing fashionable black shoes on her feet.

Sakura looked around her once more. Through the small window curtained by the two separate sheets of a plain cream fabric she could see the large back-garden; it bloomed with a variation of roses and chrysanthemums – the colors were so bright, that they blinded Sakura for a moment and she gasped, amazed at their beauty and radiance.

There were two ladies in brocaded dresses – yellow and pastel pink – and with elegant material umbrellas to protect their frail- white faces from burning sun-rays. Sakura realized they could be guests in this old castle, who went out to enjoy the vivid colors of the garden and to chat quietly as they sat on the wooden bench with ornate black legs.

Sakura and Tomoyo finally made it into a big spacious hall; there were some people – few clerks, a tall man, who seemed to be an advisor to the king and the same young man, whom Sakura encountered not so long ago. The wound on his face had closed, leaving a noticeable scar.

When the door to the hall had opened, all of them looked in Sakura's direction.

An awkward silence filled the air.

Tomoyo bowed and walked out of the door back into a corridor, leaving Sakura stand all alone.

"Come here," the young man ordered. Sakura stepped closer. She was afraid to look up, because she knew she would meet the angry glare of those amber eyes, so she continued to stare at the refined floor tiles.

"What is your name?" the young man continued with no emotion in his voice. Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but at the same time the horror devoured her and she froze.

She couldn't remember her name!

And it was not just the name – she couldn't remember who she was, who her parents were, where she lived or anything else – everything seemed to be wiped out from her memory.

"Do not make me repeat myself twice, answer my question, unworthy wench."

After a few moments the quiet voice pierced the atmosphere.

"I do not know," Sakura whispered "I can't remember."

"What is the meaning of this?" the advisor questioned angrily. "I will not allow such impudence in front of His Highness!-"

"Silence," this simple word said by a young man made advisor quieter in an instant "You are charged with attacking Xiao Lang Li, the prince and an heir to the throne of the Li Kingdom," he explained to Sakura coldly. "And for leaving me that scar…" he paused, his hands dangerously clenching into fists. Then he suddenly crashed one of his fists into a wall beside him "…you will be punished in any way I please!"

His eyes were burning with hatred and Sakura's heart throbbed from fear that spread through her whole body. She was so lost, and her mind so confused, she felt as if she was in a deep dark forest, where no one could hear her cries for help and the hungry pack of wolves was about to rip her into shreds.

She whispered once again "I don't remember…anything."

"You think His Highness will trust a word you say? You have to be thankful that you were not locked in a cell for seven days without any food or drink!" the advisor sneered. "Or were thrown to rabid dogs as food! Or were beheaded in front of the whole country-"

"I have an idea of how to put you in your place," Syaoran leered at Sakura. "From now on your name will be Rin and you will live in this castle as one of my personal servants. You will do whatever I want and whenever I want it, no questions asked. Now get out from my sight. I no longer wish to look at a pathetic excuse for individual such as yourself." With that he turned away. The advisor turned to guards, which were standing beside on each side of the throne, and nodded, giving them the silent command. They hastily pushed her to the exit and shut the door right in front of her nose.

Sakura swallowed the ball of emotions coming up her throat. She was about to burst out crying, when she heard a quiet voice:

"So your name is Rin?"

Sakura turned around. It was Tomoyo.

"I was kind of walking around and happened to overhear the prince," she giggled and Sakura smiled. Tomoyo was really easy to talk to.

"Come with me, I will let you live in my room for a while," she continued. "Can you not remember anything at all?"

Sakura nodded.

"You are out of luck – being prince's personal servant means he will make your life absolutely miserable. And in your place I would watch out for Seiju-sama. He really gets violent when there are beautiful girls around."

Sakura touched her face.

_Beautiful?_

She sighed, truly wishing to remember what her face looked like. Tomoyo noticed Sakura's involuntary movement and swiftly took out a little mirror from a pocket sewed on her dress.

"Here you go."

Sakura studied her face with curiosity. She wouldn't say that it looked _that_ beautiful, but it was quite pretty.

"Thank you," Sakura handed the mirror back and beamed at Tomoyo.

**::~::**

The rest of the day went well; Sakura wondered if prince forgot about her existence and sighed with relief. Though she frequently felt the guilt squeeze her throat as she remembered that long scar on his face, she feared to see those eyes, burning with fury and hatred.

She tried to concentrate on her appointed chores. From Tomoyo she knew that her work would be balanced somewhere in between sewing or knitting clothes, helping at the royal kitchen and taking care of any other prince's needs.

Tomoyo turned out to be the main seamstress and made Sakura try on a lot of dresses she sewn just recently. The other servants seemed to be avoiding Sakura – the rumors spread with incredible speed and most of them saw in her only a deceiving girl, who attacked the prince.

Sakura often heard hushed comments from passing maids "I heard she was riding in a cart and had crashed into His Highness when he was crossing the road!" "Did you see the scar on his face? It is horrible!" "You think they will execute her?"

Tomoyo encouraged her not to give these rumors a lot of attention, but Sakura still felt responsible and didn't dare to look up; she hid her face behind the short locks of her hair, feeling disgusted glares on her back.

The worst of all, she felt like she had deserved it too; like she had done something utterly horrible, something what could not be changed or forgotten and it made her wonder if she merited even bigger punishment.

A few times some more courageous women pushed her, called her names and laughed in her face, but Tomoyo quickly made it absolutely clear that this girl is under her protection and no one dared to bother her afterwards. Tomoyo was a good woman, Sakura realized. She did not consider at all that Sakura might have been not worth protecting or even her kind words of comfort. Tomoyo was a true friend.

But Sakura knew that Tomoyo wasn't almighty and couldn't protect her from everybody – and she was soon to find out that there were a lot more enemies than she thought.

* * *

**A/N: Please review! This is my third story, so I might not update as fast as you would like me to, but I'll try!**

**Luv,**

**Nastia**


	2. The Questions

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS.**

**A/N: ****Here's another chapter! Thank you for reviews everybody!**

* * *

**Chapter 2 – The Questions**

The room was dark and eerie. The curtains were tightly shut together, not letting in a single ray of sun, which illuminated the world outside.

Syaoran carefully touched the scar on his face and winced. It has been four days since the accident and the wound had closed, but he still could feel the dull pain spreading from it.

"That damn peasant!" he stood up from his bed and started walking back and forth trying to calm down his nerves.

**~*~ **_**Flashback**_** ~*~**

The sun was in zenith and it's rays were mercilessly heating up Syaoran's back. He swore, jumped off the horse and once again regretted wearing a black shirt on such a sunny day.

Syaoran was taking a usual walk with his favorite steed Storm. They went out of the castle at about nine o'clock in the morning and were riding around the closest villages, fields and forests – a pointless activity Syaoran liked to do out of pure boredom and annoyance, which he experienced every time he stayed at home. Luckily for him, his mother, a queen Yelan of the Li Kingdom, was out for some 'very important matters', so there was no one else to stop him from leaving the castle.

They came under the pleasant shadow of the forest and Syaoran decided to take a break from their long journey. Suddenly, he saw something lying under the tree – a _someone_, to be exact. He couldn't see who it was; the shadows from the tree tops concealed the stranger's face and figure and it seemed that the person was hiding from someone.

A person turned around, spotted Syaoran standing nearby and began to run away in the opposite direction. Syaoran's curiosity took over his body and he ran after that person, but to his surprise, couldn't catch up. The tree branches were shielding his eyes from seeing clearly where the person was running to, and soon he lost the sight of them. Instead, he saw the bright rays of sun shining through the gaps between trees and realized that the forest came to an end. He ran out of the forest and looked around. He was standing on the road, which took a turn up the hill and disappeared behind the edge of the forest.

The person he was looking for seemed to disappear as well – there was no one in sight and Syaoran turned back, stunned by this incident. He took a few steps, but then heard a loud clatter of hooves closing in on him; then suddenly he felt a forceful push and fell on the ground, hurting his head on the huge cobble-stone; the world went black as if the huge coverlet wrapped Syaoran from head to toes and he lost his consciousness.

When his eyes were opened again he felt the warm blood oozing down his face and had realized that it was a wound from a hit on a cobble-stone. He saw a cart with a girl in it, who wasn't hurt, but only unconscious and decided to wait until she would wake up…..

**~*~ **_**End Flashback**_** ~*~**

The loud knock on the door made Syaoran awaken from his gloomy thoughts. He let out an annoyed "you may enter" and sat back on a bed.

"What the hell do you want here?" he growled angrily at a young maid who appeared at the door. "I did not call for you, so get out!"

"I am sorry Your Highness. I brought your tea," Sakura said quietly.

"Well, you took your time bringing it here!" Syaoran retorted. The sight of this girl alone made him sick. "Put it on the table."

Sakura swiftly carried out the order and stood beside the door waiting for more instructions.

For herself she noted that being Syaoran's personal servant wasn't as bad as Tomoyo described it would be. Sure, he was rude and self-centered; every time he saw her doing something he always tried to find a blunder and reprimand her for it; he was purposely mean to her and called her names. But not one time he ever pushed her or used any other physical assault as a punishment. Sakura wondered if prince had a softer side, the one he rarely showed to anyone, even himself.

It was quiet, only the hushed ticking of the old-fashioned wooden clock disturbed the silence. The atmosphere was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Sakura waited for quite a while, but soon was unable to withstand it.

"I am sorry for what I did to your face. Does it still hurt?" she asked Syaoran, referring to the scar. She just wanted to make sure he was okay – after all it was her fault the prince got hurt in a first place.

"I do not recall giving you a permission to talk; and do not address me in such an uncouth manner," he pointed out without even looking up to face her and lazily took a sip from the cup that she brought a few moments ago. "What did you put in this? It tastes awful!" he shoved the tray with tea back to Sakura "Make me another one. And it better be good if you know what's best for yourself, you stupid wench."

Sakura left the room and Syaoran sighed, jaded. This servant-girl was getting more irritating every minute!

He knew he was angry at her, but couldn't work out the particular reason for that. Was it because of the scar? Syaoran doubted it. He wasn't a type of guy who would care about his looks, not that kind of guy at all. Then what? Maybe it was because she didn't get a single scratch in the accident, which was her fault? Or because she did not remember what she had done? Or was it the way she meekly carried out his every wish and never said anything back on his insults? This question distracted him for a short time and then he abruptly stood up and came up to the window, curtained by heavy emerald velvet drapes and opened it. The bright light instantly burst into the room, invading all of its dark corners.

"Why do I even care about things like that?" Syaoran thought emotionlessly "She is just another annoying girl, and that's a good enough reason."

**::~::**

Sakura walked through the lifeless corridors.

At this time of the year most inhabitants of the castle liked to spend time outside, at least until the sunset. The summer weather was always warm with its refreshing cool breeze and the sights of the Li Kingdom rejoiced eyes with freshly green grass, variety of beautiful flowers, deep mixed woodland and the river, which sparkled in the sun as if glittering fragments of diamond were scattered on its surface.

Sakura sighed. Why wasn't prince coming out of his room on a sunny day like this? Does he not like the sun? She was very surprised when she saw the curtains in his room closed.

Sakura turned left and end up in a kitchen. There was no one in there and she felt confused – she didn't get used to it yet and spent almost ten minutes trying to find where the teapot was. Steadily brewing the new portion of tea, she wondered what was wrong with the previous one. Sakura was told that Syaoran liked the green tea, but with no sugar or milk in it and she hoped she made it right at first time…

The strange feeling pierced her senses and she felt somebody's hand on her shoulder. Sakura jerked away and saw the adviser who helped Syaoran to conduct her judgment, the one Tomoyo called 'Seiju-sama'.

"Well aren't you jumpy," he said sarcastically, moving a little closer to her. "What a pretty young girl like yourself doing all alone in an empty castle on a wonderful day like this one?"

"The prince…" was all Sakura managed to murmur.

"Rin, was it?" he asked. "And _you_ can call me Mitsuo. I have a favor to ask, actually."

Mitsuo Seiju was a tall man of about 30-35 years old with a long dark brown hair tied back in a pony-tail and expressively narrow blue eyes. He was mutually attractive, but Sakura felt a shiver come down her spine as she watched him with angst. The way he acted in the main hall during the judgment and Tomoyo's warning about him assured her of his unstable character and the last thing she would want to do is stay alone with him in an empty room.

"A favor..?" Sakura repeated puzzled, not knowing what to do.

"Yes my dear,"- he grinned widely. "I'd like to ask you some questions."

"Yes, sure,"- Sakura relaxed, but her fingers were still nervously pulling on the hem of her dress.

"What is your age?"

"I do not remember," mumbled Sakura. Mitsuo winced, dissatisfied.

"Do you not remember anything about your past, your family..?"

"No."

"Well, that is just a shame, isn't it? I was planning to get to know you better,"- Sakura saw a devilish spark in his eyes. He abruptly pushed her against the wall and slammed his hands against the wall, her face in-between. Then one of his hands slowly caressed her cheek and he started moving even closer to her face. Sakura's eyes widened in horror. Although she had absolutely no idea if that sort of thing happened to her before, she wouldn't know how to defend herself and there was no one else around to help…

"No!" she pushed him away with all her force. "Please, don't!"

Seiju's eyes flashed with fury; he sullenly grabbed her wrist and clutched it so hard that Sakura thought he would crush the bones in her hand.

"Ow-ow-ow," she moaned in pain.

"You little wench," he sneered. "You think you can just push me and get away with it? From now on I will make sure-"

"Mitsuo-san?"- Somebody called out Seiju's name calmly. "May I ask what are you trying to do?"

The voice sounded confident and even though Sakura couldn't see who it was, she thanked heavens for sending that person to her rescue.

"Oh, Eriol-kun,"- Mitsuo answered, irritated. "I was just about to leave. Good day."

He set Sakura free from his grasp and left her leaning on the wall completely dumbfounded. Then he brushed past the young boy, about same age as prince, with dark navy hair and navy eyes, twinkling from under the elegant glasses.

"I haven't seen you before," the boy came up to her "Who are you? What is your name?"

"My name is Rin," Sakura muttered. "I am prince's new personal maid."

"Oh, so I've heard," replied Eriol. "You are the one who injured Syaoran, is that right?"

Sakura lowered her head "Yes, sir."

"Please, call me Eriol," he took her hand and softly kissed it, then giggled when she quivered from surprise "Oh, do not worry, dear, this is just a form of greeting I use when I get to meet a cute girl like yourself. I hope Syaoran is treating you well and does not make any rude remarks; after all, it _is_ one of his flaws."

"Syaoran..?" Sakura was amazed to hear this name. "Is that the prince's real name?"

"Yes, indeed," Eriol concurred. "Strangely enough, he doesn't allow anyone, except me, call him by this name."

Sakura forgot was she was supposed to do, that would be bringing the prince a new cup of tea, and drew into a conversation with this strange young man "Why?"

Eriol shook his head "I have no idea."

Sakura felt so easy and relaxed talking to Eriol; he was very charming and clever and treated her like an equal. That meant a lot to her. All of her old memories faded and Sakura felt so lost and confused. This acquaintance somehow comforted her and made her feel more confident.

She remembered the fact that he saved her from Seiju-sama and quickly bowed "Thank you for helping me; I greatly appreciate it."

Eriol smiled "My pleasure." He reached out and took a cup with tea, which Syaoran refused to drink. "Are you bringing this to His Highness?" he made an emphasis on 'His Highness' part, making it sound like something delusional.

"No," Sakura answered "The prince said that I did not make it right and sent me do make him another one."

Eriol took a sip from a cup and smiled at Sakura "This is a very good tea." Then he suddenly took a tray with a newly brewed tea from Sakura's hands "I will help you to carry it to prince's room. I need to have a word with him."

* * *

**A/N: ****Okay, it's a little confusing, but we got Syaoran's point of view on what had happened! That's better, right? And doesn't anybody feel sorry for him? I mean, from his perspective, he was run over by some weird peasant-girl, who end up not getting hurt herself, plus now there is a scar on his face! OK, I'll stop now ;P**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Luv,**

**Nastia**


	3. The Arrival

**DISCLAIMER: CCS is not mine. It belongs to CLAMP ToT**

**A/N: I want to thank everybody who reviewed on this story, added it to alert, added me to alert/favourite or just simply ****read**** the story so far! THANK YOU!**

**Ok, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3 – The Arrival**

"Hey, Syaoran, my friend, how are you doing?" yelled Eriol excitedly as he entered the room with a tray in his hands.

Syaoran mentally scolded himself for not being smart enough and forgetting to lock the door and then grinned at his childhood friend "What do you want, Eriol? I am kind of busy here…"

Eriol put the tray on the table in front of Syaoran and with pleasure noticed the surprise in his amber eyes.

"What is it?" Syaoran asked as if he had never seen a cup of tea before. Eriol smiled mischievously and explained "I was just wondering around the castle and happened to meet a very pleasant girl…"

Syaoran smirked "Tell me about it. When did you _not_ meet a pleasant girl in your life?"

"…a very pleasant girl," Eriol continued "who just happened to be in the kitchen and make a cup of tea for her stupid master."

Syaoran wrinkled his nose "Do you mean Rin? What part of _her_ is pleasant?" than he growled in mock anger "Hey! What are you implying?"

Eriol raised his hands up as if in defeat "Very well! I give up! That's what you get for pointing out a beautiful girl!" than his face suddenly changed and he said in a very solemn tone "But seriously, dear friend, you better watch out for Mitsuo-san with these dirty little tricks of his." Seiju Mitsuo was publicly known as an inveterate seducer and Casanova, which somehow only boosted his popularity with women.

"I have absolutely no interest in his "tricks" as you call it. I'd rather not see him and this slut Rin at all as long as I get my own way and my orders are carried out on time. Both of them disgust me to the bone."

"Rin is a lovely girl," Eriol insisted. "I would like her as a personal servant. In fact – why don't we have a little trade?"

"You wish!" Syaoran smirked. "I am not done with her yet."

"What on Earth would you mean by that?" Eriol scratched his head, confused. "Revenge?"

Syaoran smirked "You got it."

**::~::**

She sat down on the bench beside the window and looked out.

Sakura hasn't been outside for almost a week; she missed the wind that would softly touch her cheeks and mess up her short auburn hair. She missed the nature: trees, grass, butterflies with its' fluorescent colors…

But most of all she missed that weird feeling inside of her that made her absolutely sure she hasn't been someone's servant before – the feeling of liberty and freedom to go wherever she wanted, to do whatever she wanted and be herself, not burdened by the world's harsh reality.

She often found herself in thoughts about her past. She wanted to remember, to find the way out of this nightmare, these mean glares and secret sneers behind her back.

Does she have a family? If so, they must be searching for her, maybe even worrying and praying for her to be alive.

"And what if… what if I am an orphan?" Sakura wondered in thought. She wouldn't have any place to come back to. She would have to stay here forever.

She quivered.

_No. Not that. Please._

She tried her best to seem happy and content; every insult and push – she ignored it, but somewhere deep inside of her was a scared little child, crying and begging for somebody to save her, make her feel needed and welcome…

"…and move!" Sakura turned around to face an angry stern woman in a raspberry-colored dress. There was a pure hatred displayed in her dim grey eyes and Sakura just stared at her, taken aback.

"Did you even hear what I said?" the woman rose in fury. "GET OFF from MY seat right now or you'll be sorry you've been born to this world, you pestering whore!"

She gripped Sakura's hair and forcefully shoved her off the bench on the hard wooden floor. Everyone present in the room laughed, pointing fingers at Sakura and some of them gave the woman-in-raspberry-dress a cheer.

"That will teach you to stand in my way!" woman smirked proudly as she saw Sakura helplessly sit on the floor, rubbing her head.

_They hate me. All of them hate me._

"Let's teach her a lesson!" she heard a suggestion and then a loud clamor of approval that followed. More than a dozen of hands grabbed her and pressed her into a wall. The noise became louder, thudding in her head as a drum beat; voices mixed together, one accusation following another.

"This is for Prince Xiao Lang!" "Yeah, we'll teach her!" "I heard she is one of the lord Seiju's mistresses!" "What a slut!"

_Why?_

Sakura endured the pain in her left shoulder as she clenched her teeth hard, trying not to burst into tears. Women kept on violently pulling her hair and ripping her plain brown dress, slapping and kicking her…

_Do I really have to stay here?_

Suddenly, the door opened and Sakura heard a high-pitched, but brave voice:

"Get away from her! You too! Let me through!" the person seemed to be pushing everyone apart to make a way through and finally Sakura saw Tomoyo's worried face.

"Are you still breathing?" she asked, hurriedly pulling her up, helping her to straighten and clean her clothes and at the same time glaring at everyone in the room. "I swear, I can't leave you alone for a few minutes – these bad-mannered idiots had almost swallowed you just now! Leave the room!" she bawled at other seamstresses. "The queen is just about to arrive and your presence is necessary – go prepare and then help in the kitchen and outside."

Everyone left the room.

"Oh, look at you!" Tomoyo's heart felt as if it was squeezed with a pair of muscular hands. "Your face is all scratched, the gown is ruined and … something is definitely wrong with your left arm! I mean the shoulder is at such an angle!"

Sakura silently moved her head to the left "Oh."

"Does it hurt? Does it? You can tell me if it does, I will call someone to fix it! I will!" Tomoyo felt her head start going round and her eyes becoming blurry – it was her first time seeing someone hurt that seriously. "Those conniving demons! I will be right back, Rin! Please, wait here and don't… well, try to be conscious when I'll come back! The physician! That's it! I will get you a physician! And a new dress! Just wait!"

She run towards the door, but the hem of her dress got caught on the handle and Tomoyo fell on the floor with a "Whoa!"

Somehow, this made Sakura laugh, Tomoyo just looked so ridiculous with her reddened face and wrinkled dress and her hair messed up from fall.

"Are you all right?" Sakura asked with concern, when she was done laughing. Tomoyo didn't answer – she quickly got up and ran out of the door, locking it, and Sakura was left all to herself.

She moved her left shoulder slightly – a sharp pain pierced the whole hand from the collarbone to the tips of her fingers. It was probably the dislocated joint, or something of that sort.

Sakura moved the fingers to make sure she was still in control and thought about her situation.

No, she didn't think about the dislocated shoulder; there was one particular detail that troubled her more and that was the arrival of the queen Yelan. Being a very proud and firm woman, as Sakura heard from other servants, Sakura was a little scared to face her.

She was absolutely sure that Yelan would want to see a girl, who dared to scar the face of her only son and an heir to a throne.

Sakura was getting seriously anxious about all of this. Once again she moved her hand and then, unexpectedly for herself, she tugged it with force, locking the joint into place.

Sakura let out a shriek as she felt ache spread all over her body, making her knees shake from a chill and her emerald irises disappear under the eyelids, leaving only blank white sclera.

And then it suddenly stopped. The pain had vanished without a trace.

Sakura opened her eyes – everything seemed unclear, but gradually her vision could come back to normal.

"Hoe..?" uttered Sakura in surprise.

_What had just happened?_

She moved her left arm, but didn't feel any ache or throbbing – nothing. The arm felt as if it was never damaged in a first place.

"She is in here," Sakura heard somebody turn the key in the lock and the door opened.

There was Tomoyo; after her walked in an old bearded man with a black bag, judging by the sound, it contained glass bottles with various liquids.

Tomoyo looked distracted, but calmed down; Sakura wondered if physician gave her some medicine, maybe a valerian cordial?

"So tell me what's wrong, my dear," the physician began.

Sakura shook her head "Nothing. Not anymore."

Tomoyo and the old man exchanged confused glances.

"What do you mean?" Tomoyo requested. "Your shoulder was dislocated, am I right? It looked as if it was turned the other way round!"

Sakura moved her left hand to demonstrate the miraculous recovery "See? Everything's in place."

Physician had a look of curiosity on his face "It seems to be so. Although I still should treat those scratches on your neck."

And he instantly set to work.

**::~::**

The main hall was decorated with taste.

Extended white and green garlands, carefully prepared by maids, were hanging from the dome of the ceiling and elegantly decked tables were full with various dishes.

The hall was packed with people: counts and lords talking about their recent hunting trips, young ladies and middle-aged Mistresses in laced velvet and brocaded dresses, maids and waiters rushing about and serving to their masters.

It was some kind of celebration – partly to greet the queen from her long journey to the neighboring kingdom, and partly because the queen had an important announcement to make – everybody was excited, awaiting the news she had brought.

Syaoran dressed in his best outfit lazily yawned and stared into space, ignoring his best friend Eriol, who was lively chatting to him all this time.

"What do you think your mother will announce? It _must_ be something important, otherwise, why send the news a few days before arrival? I wonder…- hey, Syaoran, are you listening to me?"

Syaoran slowly turned his head to face Eriol "Huh?"

"God, you are so ignorant, my dear friend," Eriol pointed out. "I was talking about queen Yelan and her sudden change of plans. After all, she intended to stay in the Sheng Kingdom for two more weeks…"

Syaoran sighed "My mother always gets crazy ideas in a wrong time. Remember that garden with wild roses she wanted so badly? She said that the scent of wild roses was stronger and more pleasant. Well, now they spread _everywhere_, because none of the gardeners could manage to trim them – the spikes on the stems are huge and possibly poisonous."

Eriol laughed "That _is_ true!"

**::~::**

Sakura gasped with awe "Did you seriously make those, Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo's cheeks tinted with blush and she smiled at Sakura "Well…yes."

Tomoyo was very talented at sewing and making stylish dresses for special occasions such as balls and ceremonies. She was very close to queen as she was her fashion adviser – Yelan was very fond of Tomoyo and sometimes they even had a plain chat as if they were old friends.

Sakura looked at the dress Tomoyo sewed especially for her, the light beige with some frills on the hem and the ends of sleeves. It was cotton and didn't have much accessories or gems, but its elegance could be noticed at a first glance – this was an original work of a professional royal designer.

Tomoyo's own dress was blue with a white laced neckline and a small amethyst stone in the middle of the chest. Simply beautiful.

"Are you sure we are allowed to go to the greeting?" Sakura uttered. She still had a bad feeling about all of this. The only thing that could come up in her mind at this point was her being executed for assaulting the prince.

Tomoyo nodded "Yes, it is an honor to greet the queen back and we must be there for her." Then she giggled and added in mysterious tone "There was a rumor that she came back with some shocking news. Wouldn't you like to hear about what she has to say?"

Sakura shrugged innocently "I guess."

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? Please R&R!**

**Luv,**

**Nastia**


	4. The Announcement

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS.**

**A/N: Sorry for not updating, I had a lot going on!**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – The Announcement**

She straightened her expensive red dress with bows and silk laces all over it and took a deep breath, a scarce look of worry touching her usually serene and composed face.

"Well, it isn't like I _force_ him to do it," she mumbled in thought, trying to calm her excitement. "He has to appreciate my opinion and the trouble I went through just to help him. He needs a little push, so I'll be the one to make him take a step forward!"

She was sitting in a royal carriage, which was swaying form side to side as it rode on a gravel road on its' way to the castle.

The queen felt very enthusiastic and somehow a little worried about her son's reaction to her announcement. In her head she kept repeating that all of this was for his – and his future kingdoms' – good and that nobody else could help him as well as his own mother would.

Once again she sighed and nervously tangled her fingers.

They were now driving through the crowded streets of the Li Kingdom, greeted by the cheering inhabitants of the kingdom. The castle was closing in and Yelan prepared herself for the worst.

"This is it," she uttered quietly, trying not to attract attention of the coachman as the carriage stopped right at the beginning of a short path, covered by a red cloth, leading to the entrance of the castle, crowds of commoners surrounding it from both sides.

They cheered even louder as she came out with a help of the coachman and she genuinely smiled at everyone. Then she walked down the path, seeing an admiring gazes and hearing sighs of awe as she swiftly walked past her citizens, leaving a somewhat of a lingering fragrance of wisdom in the air.

The door was opened for her and she walked into a decorated hall, everybody's attention set on her.

Yelan slightly nodded seeing familiar faces of her friends and servants and caught Syaoran's cautious glance as he stood leaning on the wall beside Eriol.

She finally stopped and turned her face to face everyone.

"My dear friends," she spoke softly, but in a very determined tone as the cheers gradually got quieter. "It has been a long journey for me and I am very pleased to come back to my home. However, I've got something to tell to all of you – something I consider very important and necessary for the future of our kingdom. I sent my companion before me to inform you and give you some time to prepare for this unusual occasion…"

"I hope that everyone here will admit my actions as a wise thing and will be quite satisfied with it," she continued, eyeing Syaoran, who stared back, slightly intrigued and confused.

Yelan sighed, trying to sound very firm and to the point and at the same time deliver the news as softly as possible.

"I thereby announce a royal ball, which will take place in a few days and which… which will be followed by my son's engagement to a young woman from one of the noble families, whom I had invited from the neighboring kingdoms, including Sheng Kingdom."

For a moment everyone remained silent and then suddenly the serenity of the hall was disturbed by earsplitting noise from all the claps and cheers directed to Syaoran.

Syaoran gaped at his mother with shock, ignoring the applause, and then turned to Eriol "Did you..?"

Eriol grinned at him and shrugged "Nope, wasn't me!"

Syaoran stared at Yelan with a sincere horror in his widened eyes and watched her as she finished the rest of her speech and quietly left the hall, escorted by her personal maid.

**::~::**

"This way!" Tomoyo pushed puzzled Sakura, who was still gaping at the hall decorations with amazement.

"Look at the ceiling, Tomoyo," she whispered. "It is _huge_! And all these plates with food! Even if I can't remember, I'd swear, I've never seen so many in my whole life!"

"I know," Tomoyo said with laughter. "It is a royal castle after all. Now tell me, aren't you supposed to be at Prince Xiao Lang's hand, so he can boss you around?"

Sakura blinked at her "Am I? I don't know. But where can I find him in this crowd?"

"At the end of the hall – there, beside the wall, see?" Tomoyo pointed at the prince.

Sakura nodded as she saw him and began to walk towards him, but Tomoyo suddenly grabbed her hand halfway there and gestured to be quiet – the queen entered the castle.

They watched her walk up the path and Sakura noticed that queen Yelan seemed somewhat… nervous? Woman's movements were so elegant and smooth – Sakura was mesmerized by her grace.

The queen began her speech.

Sakura listened to a melodic voice of the queen. She couldn't think of anything at all, what Yelan meant by 'important and necessary' news which would serve for the good of the kingdom. She didn't understand politics, due to her naïve nature she thought everything could be solved peacefully so everybody would be happy.

As soon as the queen said the word 'engagement', Sakura saw Syaoran flinch and then she was deafened by a strident noise of the crowd.

Tomoyo was cheering too.

"This is just wonderful, Rin!" she exclaimed happily, squeezing Sakura in a tight hug. "I will need to make a lot of pretty dresses for the ball!"

"The ball?" Sakura repeated with a dull expression.

She'd never been to a ball before. Well, at least that was something what she thought was the truth.

Tomoyo nodded "Yes, the ball! I wonder who the prince will choose to be his bride, I mean he is not the type who just goes ahead and gets himself a wife as soon as he decides to…"

"But, anyway," Tomoyo continued after a short pause "I think you should go now," she fixed the loose strand of the hair and smiled at Sakura, pointing the finger at the crowd. "The prince is looking for you."

**::~::**

"Where is that lazy servant?" Syaoran ruffled his hair in depression and looked around. At the other end of the hall he saw a lean figure of a girl who was moving towards him.

"How could she do this to me, Eriol?" Syaoran resumed, talking about his mother. "Do I look like I need a bride? I don't! Well, if I do, I can find a suitable girl myself, without anyone's help!"

Eriol smirked "And what kind of girl would be suitable for His Highness?"

Syaoran scowled "Well, not the kind of 'ladies' which will come for this ball anyway. All of them are just empty-headed money-hunting scammers. All they want is my money and title and all they will do is follow me around trying to get my attention."

Eriol softly patted him on the shoulder "You are changing the subject. And relax, my friend, after all, you might like being surrounded by a bunch of pretty girls, trying their best to please you. Who knows, you might even find 'The One' for you…"

"Quit it with the sweet talk, Eriol," Syaoran interjected heatedly. He noticed, that his personal maid Rin was standing nearby, quietly staring at the floor. He couldn't resist not to make a caustic comment.

"Found something interesting down there?" he mocked her with sarcasm. "Or are you just wishing you could scrub this floor after the greeting is over?"

Sakura didn't answer, but shot her head up from the floor, blushing furiously. Her senses urged her to say something back, something equally mean and acid, but the impulse instantly disappeared as her eyes met with his cold glare.

This felt so familiar and so hurtful; she suddenly had many images rush in her head. She saw people's faces – they were blurred; all she could distinguish were pairs of eyes, glowering at her with contempt and disdain.

The pain of the memory was too much for her. She was trying to remember anything from her past before, but now she wished all of this would just disappear and never come back.

Sakura felt tears making their way out of her reddened orbs as she felt she was the loneliest person in the world, even though the people were rushing about all around her.

"Syaoran…" Eriol was always surprised by how unreasonable his friend could be at times. Then he turned to Sakura, smiling with pity. "Oh, do not cry, Rin, I think that His Highness here is just not in a good mood."

_Is he ever,_ he added in thought. Eriol stretched his hand out to give Sakura a handkerchief; she accepted with a bow.

Syaoran huffed but the expression on his face softened, seeing the tears on Sakura's face. He couldn't help but feel guilty for making her cry, even though it must've been a first time he _ever_ felt guilty as long as he could remember.

"I want a glass of wine," he uttered, turning away, hopelessly attempting to clear his throat.

Sakura wiped the tears from her cheeks and bowed "Yes, Your Highness." Then she turned to Eriol and gave the handkerchief back to him, also bowing "I am very grateful to you for this, Sir Eriol."

As the girl left, Eriol shook his head in disapproval "You need to learn how to handle this kind of situations, my friend. Or you will end up as an eternal bachelor."

Syaoran was going to reply something about Eriol himself still being not married, but as he spun around, he discovered that Eriol was already gone.

He thought about what his childhood friend meant by 'this kind of situations', but couldn't understand whether he was talking about his mother's decision or a useless maid, who hurried to bring him a glass of wine.

**::~::**

Syaoran looked at her with irritation when Sakura came back "Must I always wait for you?"

The girl bowed once again, stretching out a tray with the drink "I am so sorry, Your Highness."

She was very unusual, this girl. Scrawny, badly dressed, with the short shining auburn hair, which kept falling forward on her face, but very hard-working, quiet and shy, she was almost the ideal servant.

Sakura's emerald-green eyes gazed at the prince with curiosity. Was he staring at her?

A few moments flew by.

"Are you done staring at me yet?" a sharp voice brought her to attention and she saw Syaoran glare at her with a smirk. "I know I'm handsome, but your gawking is kind of oppressive."

She lowered her head.

"I am terribly sorry for interrupting, Your Highness," Syaoran heard someone say behind him. He turned around to see a tall man in a dark-green suit – it was a messenger from his mother.

"Queen Yelan wishes to see yourself and a girl named Rin in her chamber right away."

With that the man bowed and stepped back, adroitly blending in with the crowd, and disappeared from their sight.

"Queen Y-Yelan?" Sakura stuttered in shock.

"My mother," Syaoran replied sourly. "Let's go. Follow me."

He abruptly put the glass he was holding in his right hand on the table and the remainder of wine immediately splattered on the silk cloth, like fresh droplets of blood, spoiling the pure white fabric.

Then he began walking through the crowd, sometimes pushing past people to make his way to the exit. He walked so fast that Sakura had some trouble keeping up with him; everybody was staring at them and she felt extremely uncomfortable.

Sakura looked up and with horror concluded that the prince absolutely vanished from her view. She nervously glanced around, but all she could see was the bright gleam from dazzling costumes and dresses and the candles, which lit the hall.

People around her, gentlemen and ladies from high society, were talking very loudly and Sakura thought her head would explode from all this noise they made.

Some young woman passing by 'accidentally' pushed her and Sakura fell down on the polished floor, hearing laughs and sarcastic comments about her clumsiness. Sakura rubbed her knees and picked up her dress's hem, trying to get up. Apparently, it became everybody's habit to push her down and make fun of her.

Suddenly someone's strong hand grasped her wrist and Sakura felt herself being lifted from the floor back on her feet.

"There's no time for lying around on the floor," the voice dripped with sarcasm and Sakura, though she was looking down, could say without any doubt that there was a smirking expression on prince's face.

After that he dragged her across the hall and led out of there, closing the door behind him.

The corridors were quite peaceful – there were hardly any people and the atmosphere was calm and relaxing.

Sakura sighed. She was tired from all the noise and felt content hearing only silence, which wrapped up the rest of the castle. The prince wasn't complaining about anything and Sakura took it as a good sign.

They spent a few minutes just walking in silence and then Syaoran stopped beside one of the doors leading into a private office.

"Do not mess up," he said, looking directly at Sakura and opened the door.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 4 finally finished! R&R please!**

**Luv ya all,**

**Nastia**


	5. The Confession

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS.**

**A/N: I know I should be kicked for not updating in so long, but please, review?**

* * *

**Chapter 5 - The Confession**

"Care to dance, lady Tomoyo?" Tomoyo turned around to see Eriol stretching out his hand and slightly bowing to her in a playful manner. Her cheeks immediately tinted with several shades of pink and scarlet and she hastily covered them with her palms.

"Sir Eriol … I … I'm" she muttered not knowing what to answer and feeling as if her face was about to reach it's boiling point.

"Please?" Eriol smiled innocently.

Tomoyo put her pale-white hand in his, although still having mixed feelings about it, and was about to bow, but stumbled and fell against Eriol's chest.

"Are you okay?" she heard a voice full of concern. Tomoyo jerked up, straightening her dress and trying to avoid the eye contact with Eriol.

"I am s-so sorry, Sir Eriol. How clumsy of me."

_What am I doing? I am so ashamed right now! I wish I could be one of those ladies who are sophisticated and poised. That's the kind of woman Sir Eriol deserves._

She completely turned around, starting to walk away.

Eriol grasped her hand "Wait, please."

Tomoyo faced him.

He gazed back at her too with a concerned and pleading expression.

Tomoyo sighed. There was something catching about his appearance. Maybe it was Eriol's never-ending charm that just overflowed from his alluring nature, but looking in his bright navy eyes, which sparkled like night sky, she couldn't resist.

Tomoyo blushed "Is it really all right, Sir Eriol?"

Eriol beamed at her "What is?"

"Like this… I mean for us… to be…"

Eriol span her around and Tomoyo swayed her dress in an elegant dance step.

"Don't worry, lady Tomoyo, I take full responsibility for my actions."

"I… am I not causing you trouble?" questioned Tomoyo.

"Not at all."

"But I-"

"I haven't seen you in a while, lady Tomoyo," Eriol pressed her closer to him, as the passion of waltz whirled around them.

Then he suddenly stopped and looked straight into her eyes, the gaze so deep and sorrowful, that it could pierce her soul.

"I missed you."

**::~::**

"Do not mess up."

What would he mean by that?

"Come in, come in," they heard a soft melodic voice as the bright light that splashed its' rays out of the window blinded Sakura and Syaoran.

Syaoran walked in and stood in front of his mother, waiting. He didn't want to be here. He and queen Yelan had a very strained relationship; Syaoran didn't get involved into the politics of the Kingdom, while she kept distance from his eerie chamber, only contacting him through servants and having meetings exclusively in important situations.

This was one of these occasions – Yelan needed her son's full approval of the upcoming ball, not to mention over the top curious about the recent addition to the inhabitants of the castle in the face of this shy bony girl, who she heard so much about.

Sakura hesitated for a moment and then slowly and very quietly stepped out of corridor shadow into the lit room, stepping behind prince as if seeking protection from his tall frame.

"Xiao Lang." Yelan smiled at him. She had always called him by his formal given name. This time though, she decided to use just the right amount of softness in her tone to show her sincere care for him and his future. "I see you are gradually getting used to having servants in this castle. This girl, who is she? I've never saw her before."

Syaoran narrowed his eyes while his lips produced uneven smirk "She attends to all my desires."

Yelan chuckled. It was a hardly audible sound even though the room was perfect for resonance.

"So she serves you tea, am I right?" she smiled slyly, for a moment forgetting what she called him here for. "Is that all? She is quite peculiar. Where did this wretched creature come from?"

"I do not know, mother. I found her at the outskirts of our Kingdom and she wouldn't tell anybody her name. She claims that she does not remember her name or where she is from."

Yelan raised her eyebrow in wonder and frustration.

"Oh, is that so?"

So the rumors have been true. Yelan slowly nodded to her silent question. She turned back to face her son.

"And what happened to you, Xiao Lang? Were you hurt?" She gestured for him to come closer and stroke his left cheek as he moved beside her. She felt him quiver lightly under her touch as if her hands were as cold as ice and she hastily crossed her palms on her chest. It hurt her deeply that Syaoran, her dear boy, who have been so happy and innocent in his childhood years, behaved so cold towards his mother, although she realized that it was partly her fault.

Syaoran didn't say a word and Sakura lowered her head, trembling in horror.

The queen continued.

"I heard that the girl is to blame for this," Yelan eyed her son's face carefully this time, her voice grave and serious. "So why do you still keep her here? Is there any particular reason?"

Syaoran did not answer. He couldn't possibly imagine telling his mother that the girl who stood just about behind him was here because of prince's selfish wish to get even.

"I see," Yelan dismissed Syaoran and glanced at Sakura "Come closer. I wish to take a look at you."

Sakura stepped closer and bowed at an angle of ninety degrees, her heart beating violently.

This was it. She could almost feel the anger seeping through queen's composed exterior.

Sakura felt her body getting heavier by the minute as she waited for queen's reaction – the aura that spelt around them seemed to suffocate her. The silence grew and soon Sakura could distinguish between the cheering and music in the ballroom and lovely chirping of birds outside; she could even hear the slightest tinkling of women's shoes against the polished wooden floor – the servants were rushing in and out of the kitchen downstairs.

Yelan tilted her head in amusement. Why does the girl's face seem familiar to her? Did she meet her before, or maybe it was just her imagination? In the back of her head, Yelan subconsciously went through the list of people she knew. A picture of a young girl with soaked hair and scared big eyes suddenly emerged from her memory.

"Hmm?" Yelan raised an eyebrow "Very interesting."

She smiled down at Sakura "You are free to leave the chamber – I dismiss you for now."

**::~::**

"I… I also missed you, Sir Eriol", Tomoyo felt her eyes filling with tears. She has already reached the level of blushing, where her cheeks couldn't stop burning, but she tried to ignore it.

"But for now, it can be only like this. I am sorry," Eriol tenderly stroke her cheek. "And it is my fault, too."

Tomoyo shook her head violently in disagreement "Please, Sir Eriol, you must not blame yourself for these awful events! I cannot bear seeing you so sad and heartbroken. But there are some things that you need to accept and continue living to immortalize their memory. The pain that dwells inside your heart can only be healed by time, so please, do not become overpowered by the feeling of revenge. You are not to blame, because… because there was nothing you could do."

"And this upsets me even more. I was weak and couldn't help anybody. I cowardly left my parents behind and ran away without looking back, while they protected me my whole life."

Eriol closed his eyes and his breath fastened as he remembered what happened over and over again. He was sinking into a deep sea of frustration and he realized that soon it might drown him altogether.

He recalled the memory once again and it was as clear to him as if it happened today and not ten years ago.

_**~*~ Flashback**__**~*~**_

He was only eleven years old then, a bright and cheerful child. His father was a king and Eriol was the only heir to the throne. The kingdom, his kingdom-to-be, was quite peaceful, with a minor criminal record.

Eriol haven't had any friends then, he was not allowed to leave beyond the castle walls and the only people he talked with were servants and governesses.

He spent most of his free time in the garden, hypnotized by the charming beauty of ruby roses and snow-white lilies. Sometimes, his mother went there with him and it seemed they were in perfect harmony; they laughed together and smiled a lot; Eriol's mother called him her gentle iris, the most tender and kindhearted boy. He blushed at this unusual remark and waved it off, trying to change a subject. He loved his mother more than anyone in the world.

Eriol did not spend as much time with his father. Although he understood that the king had a lot of responsibilities and was ready to follow his father's footsteps by learning all material his governesses could offer, Eriol felt disappointed that in his father's heart, the well-being of his country was always in the first place. Looking back on it now, Eriol understood how extremely childish and selfish he was.

None the less, Eriol have been a perfect student – cunning and very smart, he kept surprising his teachers with his intelligence at such young age.

The kingdom thrived in the utopia, which the king has created, until that very day, when everything went wrong.

Eriol, though he possessed the impressive knowledge of his future kingdom's resources and contacts, did not understand at all, why one perfectly still night the castle the royal family lived in burst in all-consuming flames of wild fire.

He was scared that day – for himself, for his own well-being and safety. He was a fool.

He woke up in terror from the earsplitting noise of breaking glass, doors opening and shutting with force, women's shills and other unbearable noise which sounded like screeching of the metal against glass – the castle was falling apart.

Eriol rushed into his parent's chamber, but it was too late – the fire was started just above that room and the ceiling, which could not resist a strong heat, fell down, crushing both Eriol's mother and father – people he loved and admired the most.

Though still alive, they couldn't get out from under the heavy baulks and so Eriol was ordered to leave the castle alone and seek help from his father's best friend – the king of Li Kingdom. Servants pushed the reluctant Eriol out of the gates in the last minute and he watched with horror as the castle fell into ruins, becoming an eternal grave for his parents.

_**~*~ End **__**Flashback ~*~**_

Tomoyo leaned closer to Eriol's chest and comfortingly embraced him around his waist. Suddenly noticing it, Eriol tightened his hold around her in desperation. She was his only solace, which kept him from being overridden by strong feeling of vengeance and the only person that really mattered to him at the moment. At this thought, a content smile spread across Eriol's face, and he slowly bent down, cupping Tomoyo's face in his hands. Tomoyo flinched, taken by surprise, but did not let go of him and averted her gaze, too shy to look Eriol in the eyes.

He continued lowering his face closer to hers. Tomoyo shut her eyes and felt a soft peck on her lower lip, which sent a tingling wave down her spine. Just as he was about to pull away, she recaptured his lips in a gentle kiss, as if begging him not to go.

Eriol lifted her hands from his waist and intertwined his fingers with hers, covering her face and neck with light kisses at the same time. Tomoyo blushed furiously as she noticed that people around stared at them. She thought she heard some giggling, but Eriol seemed to forget the rest of the world.

"S-sir Eriol," Tomoyo had to stand on her tip-toes to whisper in his ear, even though he was already bent down. He calmly interrupted her, placing his finger against her swollen lips.

"Please, don't call me 'sir' anymore," he murmured. "I would like us to address each other by name, if you don't mind of course."

Tomoyo held back a content sigh "I do not mind."

"Then, should we go outside for a while? This place is so crowded; it almost makes me feel queasy," Eriol grinned and Tomoyo chuckled lightly at his last remark.

"Yes, Si-, I mean, Eriol," somehow, the feeling of shyness had disappeared, and Tomoyo understood, why Eriol didn't care about what other people had to say about them earlier. Because what she felt now – the pure and unlimited love, which did not have boundaries and could overcome any obstacles on its way – could not compare to any other sensation she had experienced in her whole life. Tomoyo felt as if she was weightless and wanted that feeling to last forever; she prayed that Eriol would never leave her side and dreamt of a happy life they would lead together. She didn't feel inferior anymore, because she sensed that Eriol needed her as much as she needed him and it was enough for Tomoyo, to know that he is hers and hers only.

They walked through the moonlit corridors and down the stairs. Tomoyo felt warmth spreading through her body as Eriol held her hand in his and the cool breeze of the evening garden brought her back to earth as the servants opened the door for them.

Tomoyo could not suppress the gasp of surprise as she realized that the evening almost shifted to night, and Eriol hugged her shoulders.

"Are you cold?" he asked with concern in his voice. Tomoyo nodded.

"A little," she replied, though her senses were telling her that she could melt any minute under the influence of her frenzied feelings. Eriol took off his frock coat and wrapped it around Tomoyo, along with his arms.

"I really like it down here," he spoke in a gentle tone, playing with a strand of Tomoyo's long curly hair. Tomoyo beamed, turning her gaze up, while resting her head on Eriol's shoulder and caught her breath as she saw the myriad of glittering stars – they sparkled so bright, that she just _had_ to blink at least four times.

"Look at the sky!" she cried out with an innocence of a toddler. Eriol glanced up briefly, but then fixed his eyes back on Tomoyo.

"They are beautiful," he agreed, stroking the side of her cheek and then gently lifted her chin up, kissing the path along her jaw until he got to her lips. "But the beauty of the stars is nothing in comparison to you, my dear Tomoyo."

Tomoyo giggled "You are flattering me! I am just a girl."

Eriol's lips curved in a wicked smile as he playfully pressed her to the trunk of an apple tree, holding Tomoyo's hands up so she couldn't escape him and crushed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss, showing just how much he craved her. Her lips were soft and warm; they tasted like vanilla and something fresh, maybe mint?

Tomoyo opened her mouth readily, showing her submission and allowing him to step over all the lines they've drew between each other before.

The kiss seemed to last forever and both Eriol and Tomoyo were quite breathless, when they finally let go of each other.

"You are not just a girl to me," Eriol admitted to her while trying to catch his breath "To me, you are the reason I exist."

* * *

**A/N: See, I added some romance! Well, it's mostly ExT, but it's still something, right?**

**Brr! I feel like I was spying on two people making out! So creepy… Anyway, R&R please!**

**Luv,**

**Nastia**


	6. The Ultimatum

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS or any of its characters.**

**A/N: Well, I finally managed to submit another chapter *phew!* I haven't updated in about five months or so… I do deserve a slap on the back of the head for that. But hey, at least it's longer than usual, right?**

**There is also good news though. I'll post 7****th**** chapter straight after I come back from my holiday trip to Blackpool :D which means somewhere after 10****th**** of August.**

**Please R&R, I want to know your opinions on the story and the plot progressing.**

**QUESTION: ****Who should fall in love first – Sakura or Syaoran?**

* * *

**Chapter 6 – The Ultimatum**

"You are free to leave the chamber – I dismiss you for now." Yelan smiled down on Sakura. Sakura automatically jerked up in surprise, but then muttered 'Yes, Your Highness', bowed awkwardly and turned around, leaving the room. The door closed shut and the silence persisted for few moments.

Syaoran slowly moved towards the exit.

"I did not give you the permission to leave," Yelan said with a hint of superiority in her voice. Syaoran smirked bitterly.

"I do not remember giving you permission to set up an engagement ball for me neither, Your Highness," as usual, this conversation did not bring any peace between him and his mother.

"Do not say that like it is an unexpected matter," the queen stood up from her chair and with inborn elegance moved across the room to a wide window draped with a finest velvet cloth. "We've discussed it before, haven't we? I was sure that you would be more than happy to let the princesses from neighboring kingdoms stay under our care for a little while until you find the right girl to become your bride. After all, it is your responsibility as a future king."

Syaoran winced at Yelan's last words. "And what if I do not wish to be a king? Will that clear me of any 'responsibilities' such as this one?"

"That is out of question!" Yelan yelled frantically, forgetting that she was trying to persuade her son in a peaceful manner. She immediately stopped herself before she could say something unnecessary and cleared her throat. "Listen, my son. What has been done is already done. The princesses are on their way to our kingdom and I cannot cancel the event; it has been promised. This is also extremely important for the economy and trade of our country. Many noble families would give a lot to be even associated with Li family, more so be personally invited to a private ball and have a chance to become our family. I hope you understand that much and will forgive my initiative. I only need your approval to proceed with room preparations and arrangement of the event."

Syaoran sighed heavily, knowing he would eventually regret being so easily manipulated.

"You may proceed with preparations, mother."

**::~::**

As soon as the sun shyly appeared on the horizon and lit up the halls of the castle with gentle morning glow, the servants of the castle were up and busy preparing for the visit of princesses from different kingdoms neighboring with Li Kingdom. The rooms had to be cleaned out and air-conditioned, the rugs, floors and windows washed, woodwork and ornaments polished, bedcovers changed and surfaces dusted. The total of twelve rooms were being prepared and three maids assigned to each room; they were responsible for their own individual tasks.

The head-maid had assigned Sakura to clean out the room for the princess Aoifa of O'Broin Kingdom with two other maids. Sakura sighed with relief as she placed the heavy trunk with old clothes and books down outside the chamber. One of the butlers immediately picked it up and gave Sakura a glare, quickly descending down the stairs. At times like this she really wished she'd rather be with prince. At least she was already used to the way he acted and in his defense, he wasn't the scariest person in the castle.

It has been like this all morning. Sakura was gathering the old things used by the previous owner of the chamber and later it has been taken by somebody to store in a shed outside. She tried not to attract anyone's attention and concentrate on her duties, which was easy to do, considering everybody was so involved with their own chores that they had little concern for her.

Tomoyo has been busy as well, taking down the measurements and pattern design for new drapes and covers. Sakura haven't seen her since that time when the queen was making an announcement and she felt very sad, knowing that she will not see her only friend at least for another day or two.

Sakura picked up another trunk, which seemed to be the last one, and moved towards the door.

"Oww!" she felt herself collide with someone, but could not see for sure as the trunk was blocking her view.

"I- I am so sorry!" Sakura yelped hurriedly putting the box down on the floor and helping the girl to get up. The girl she walked into was Ine, one of the other two maids assigned with her. She straightened her faded navy skirt and angrily glanced at Sakura. Sakura backed out and bowed in panic. _What am I going to do now?_

"I am sorry! It was my fault, I wasn't watching. Are you hurt anywhere?" she couldn't seem to stop the words spilling out of her mouth.

"It is all right," Ine answered in a surprisingly friendly tone, smiling at Sakura as she raised her head up. "Watch your steps next time, or you might trip and fall. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you, Rin?"

"I guess not," Sakura agreed naively, the sigh of relief escaping her lips. She once again picked up the trunk and started moving out the door.

"Wait," she heard Ine's melodic voice behind her. "Are you finished with these?" she pointed at the box Sakura was holding.

"Yes, I think it's the last one," Sakura smiled sheepishly.

"Then can you go downstairs and help in the kitchen?"

Sakura paused. It was true that she had almost finished sorting out the piles of dusty clothes, but she still had to change the bed sheets, pillow cases and covers on the bed and still was not sure whether she had to report everything she'd done to head-maid before returning to serve prince. She remembered how irritated he looked this morning.

**~*~ **_**Flashback **_**~*~**

The head-maid cautiously knocked on the mahogany door and stepped back. Sakura, who stood right behind her, felt her stomach turn uncomfortably. Somehow, prince Syaoran had this effect on her, at least most of the time. She was utterly scared of his cold stare and never dared to look him straight in the eyes, and though she remained curious to what would happen if she would stare right back at him, she still preferred confining her gaze to wooden floor beneath her feet every time she had the necessity of speaking to prince.

This time wasn't an exception and so she hurriedly looked down, her hands tensely pulled behind her back, before the door screeched ominously and she could hear Syaoran's voice.

"What now?"

Then Sakura saw his shadow on a floor shift as if he was trying to look behind the head-maid to see Sakura and the next phrase was addressed to her.

"Where on earth were you? I was looking for you. Hurry up and get everything ready – I am going out of the castle before the afternoon," his voice sounded coarse and so Sakura looked up intrigued, to see his face. It was quite pale – the prince usually had much more color in his cheeks – and Sakura could definitely see two dark semi-circles under his eyes, though Syaoran's orbs still had that fiery amber glow to them. Sakura wondered if he had gotten a cold, but brushed the thought off almost instantly – apart from sounding a little unusual, the prince did not behave any differently; his voice still contained that acid edge to it, which made her feel angry and meek at the same time. It must have been her imagination.

"Your Highness?" the head-maid hesitantly interrupted before Sakura could reply. Syaoran, who'd already turned away and was ready to close the door on them, glanced back.

"Yes?"

"I realize that this must be extremely inconvenient, but Rin was assigned to help prepare the room for one of the princesses," she bowed and continued "These are the queen's orders. She asked me to apologize on her behalf."

Sakura noticed that the woman's hands were shaking just slightly as she was still in a bowed position.

"Fine," Syaoran sighed with annoyed puff and waved his hand. "But make it quick. I have things to do and I want her to be here before the midday, not later, or, I'm afraid, she'll have to scrape the floor of my room with her tongue as her punishment," he eyed Sakura and smirked as she looked away when their eyes met.

"Yes, Your Highness," answered the head-maid right before the prince closed the door shut.

**~*~ **_**Flashback End**_** ~*~**

"Hey, are you even listening?" Ine touched Sakura's shoulder and Sakura immediately realized that she still did not answer her question.

"You shouldn't daydream in a middle of conversation," Ine reproached her, picking up the mop and slowly immersing it in the bucket of water.

"I am sorry, I was thinking…" Sakura trailed off "But I still have other chores to do."

"Oh," there was a slight disappointment in Ine's voice, or at least Sakura thought there was. Suddenly, she looked at the clock and gasped, almost dropping the box she was holding to the ground. Ine looked at her in amazement.

"What happened?"

"It's almost twelve o'clock and I am going to be late!" Sakura swiftly put the trunk outside the chamber and run to a drawers chest with clean bed sheets, stumbling on her way. The idea of licking the floor did not appeal to her after all, even if the prince could have been joking. She shook her head – he probably was _not_ joking.

"Wait- wait, don't run!" Ine grabbed her right arm. "Late where?"

"I have to go to Prince Xiao Lang, but I still haven't prepared the sheets…" Sakura exhaled in defeat. There is no possible way she would manage on time. "What am I going to do?"

"I could do the sheets for you," Ine offered. "It is all right, you can just go."

Sakura felt a wave of gratitude washing over her and she gripped Ine's hands in hers "Really? Oh, thank you so much, I really appreciate this!" she then jumped up and almost ran out, moving in between other maids and servants.

**::~::**

"You told her you would make her…" Eriol paused, digesting what his childhood friend had just told him."There is seriously something wrong with the way you treat females, Syaoran."

"What?" Syaoran shrugged innocently. "I didn't _really_ mean it. I am human, you know. But you have to admit that this girl is pretty amusing to tease. She takes everything I tell her seriously. You should have seen the look on her face!"

"Poor Rin," Eriol sighed and pushed his glasses up into place. "Why the sudden urge to hunt though? You haven't done it since… well, since your father died, which makes it almost thirteen years!"

"Yeah, I know. I am not sure myself. I think it's the pressure; all this raucous with the ball and young princesses, hungry for our title and money, and I cannot even feel relaxed anymore. At least _outside_ the kingdom, there won't be anyone to tell me what to do. Mother is too busy with preparations right now, and Seiju was sent to confirm the arrivals, so no one should notice that I am gone out."

Eriol's eyes narrowed "Here you go again, thinking that they only come here for your money or title; why is it so hard for you to just try and be nice to someone once in a while?"

"I am nice to you," Syaoran reminded him with a smirk. "Apart from Meiling, who is just being impossibly stubborn, the rest of the women are simply after the benefits they will get from joining the Li family. Besides, mother made her intentions very clear to me yesterday evening. She told me straight on that I am being practically 'sold' for our countries economical and trade's well-being, so what you tell me right now is just wishful thinking."

"Syaoran-" Eriol's words were interrupted by the loud knock on the door and both friends jerked up in surprise.

"Hmm, who would that be?" Eriol beamed slyly and Syaoran swiftly glanced at the huge round clock, which hang on one of the walls. Four to twelve.

Eriol walked across the room and opened the door. His eyes widened as he saw the girl in front of him.

Sakura was bending down, her hands on her knees for support and legs slightly bended. Her breaths were coming out as sharp blows, and though she tried to slow it down, it only made it worse – she wheezed badly and could feel every inch of her dried up throat burn with each gasp for air. Her short auburn hair was completely messed up by the wind, some of the strands stuck to her red face and her fringe was hanging over her eyes in chaotic fashion. Sakura's clothing was also disorganized – while running with all she had to make it to prince's room before midday, she had accidentally torn the skirt's hem and, as a last touch to the scene, she was still wearing the dirty apron she used to clean up the room in.

"Oh my, Rin, what happened?" Eriol asked looking over her with concern.

"S-sir Eriol," Sakura stuttered, catching her breath and then bowed to greet him.

"Yes, but are you all right? Were you- were you _running_?"

Sakura smiled, trying to even her breathing "Yes, I-I thought I would be late and…" she trailed off as she saw prince sitting in his chair, his back to the door.

_This girl _is _very strange after all,_ Eriol mentally agreed with Syaoran.

"What a shame you weren't late," Syaoran stood up and moved towards the girl, smirking with pleasure. "I was so looking forward to punishing you…" he paused, taking a proper look at Sakura from head to toe and the expression of smugness on his face was replaced by that of annoyance in a matter of seconds. "What is this you are wearing? Go and put on something more decent this instant and come back to meet me at the stables."

He brusquely pushed her out the door and slammed it, leaving Eriol to stare at him in astonishment.

**::~::**

"Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Sakura mused to herself as she stepped out of the castle building outside. It was sunny and the wind felt like a warm silk sliding against her face. She'd already changed her clothes and now she was wearing a light beige blouse which buttoned up to her neck, and a long dark grey skirt – something Tomoyo made for her in her free time.

Sakura carefully tucked her short hair behind her ears and looked around to see if she could find the stables. It's been six days since she was brought to this castle and she still was not used to its grandeur. There were so many corridors, so many rooms – bedrooms, studies, ballrooms – that she would definitely get lost in them if it wasn't for Tomoyo, who had kindly escorted her to places for the first few days.

At first, Sakura was ready to give up, with everybody making fun of her and constantly being pushed around if not by prince, then by some other authority, but she'd put that behind her now. For her, it was so much easier to be optimistic; it kept her going from day to day. Her memory was still a complete blank, though now and then she experienced some sort of déjà vu's, but she got so much better at coping with it.

_Besides, having no past means that I can start over, right?_

Unaware of herself, Sakura continued wondering around the courtyard. She completely forgot about having to find the stables – she just walked on, until someone forcefully yanked her by her arm and it took all of her effort not to trip over on the ground.

"What insolence must you have to ignore my orders," Sakura heard her master's voice and she looked up to see his angry face.

"I… got lost," she said quietly, which was partly true. For a moment there was silence between them. Syaoran glowered at her without a word; at least this was one of the emotions he could display properly.

He sighed to himself in annoyance. Somehow every time he saw this girl, he became angry for no particular reason. Everything about her was so… infuriating and at the same time he knew she did not do anything horribly wrong for her to be shouted at like that. It was like her presence – the fact that he could yell at her and tease her and make fun of her – it relieved him from his own burdens.

From the corner of his eye, he could see her flinch and he realized that he was still holding – or to be more exact, crushing – her arm. He hastily let go of it and turned away from her.

"Whatever," he said emotionlessly, regaining his composure. "Follow me."

They walked silently, Sakura trying to match her pace with Syaoran's, but still inevitably falling behind. To distract herself from unnecessary thoughts, Sakura studied his back. He had worn a dark grey frock-coat that day, the collar of a white cotton shirt visible from underneath it, and dark grey breeches. A rifle was attached to a thick strap on one of his shoulders and just beneath it, was a velvet-coated black case trimmed with golden embroidery. She assumed that inside of it was a sword – she could partly see the pommel of its handle and a red tassel with a black sphere attached in the middle of it.

She gazed at her arm – in the place he was gripping it she could clearly see the red lines of prince's long fingers imprinted on it.

_Still_, she thought, _that was pretty frightening. His hand was so cold… and it_ hurts.

Syaoran went inside the old house-like building, made from rows of logs piled one after another parallel each other. Inside it pleasantly smelt of dried up grass – the way it smells in a countryside, plain, yet calming. It was very quiet too, only the soft snorting of horses disturbed the stillness from time to time.

Syaoran opened one of the stables and led horse out by the rein. To Sakura's surprise, he handed the rein to her and returned inside to take another horse for himself. Sakura stood dumbfounded as she watched the prince jump up on a horse with ease.

"What are you looking at with that stupid look on your face?" Syaoran knitted his eyebrows together in a frown. "Get on the horse immediately."

"I am going too?"

"Are you deaf? I just told you to hurry up and get on or are you'd rather _run_ after me?"

"But I don't know how to…" Sakura sheepishly backed away from the dark brown animal. "I don't think I've ever ridden a horse before."

Syaoran let out an exasperated sigh. Why did this little maid always seem to be the root of all his problems?

_Maybe I shouldn't have brought her to the castle after all_, he thought grimly, jumping back off his horse and helping Sakura to get on hers. _That impudent little wench only gives me the additional headache to the rest of my concerns._

The horse seemed to not like Sakura much; it kept writhing from side to side, trying to shake her off, which almost scared the poor girl to death.

"Why does it do that?" she cried out, trying to get a hold of reins. Syaoran looked at in amusement. Once again this girl spoke without permission; he'd never seen anyone so bold as to ask him a question in that manner before.

"You are scaring her. Stop moving, wench," he blurted out almost automatically.

When they finally calmed the horse down and Sakura was securely sitting on top of it, Syaoran swore under his breath never to take a woman – especially the one like his dense servant – to hunt with him. He knew he should have taken Eriol with him instead, but when he asked him, Eriol simply grinned at him and answered that he was busy. In fact, it was Eriol's idea to take Rin in his place; Syaoran should have thought this more thoroughly…

He climbed back on his horse and slightly pressed to its sides; the horse let out a muffled snort and galloped through the castle's gate, leaving Sakura behind.

"Um…" she looked as the prince's figure became smaller and smaller as the horse galloped further away; in her mind, she furiously tried to decide whether she should call out to prince to wait for her or make the horse move herself. She was exceptionally scared of this animal, every time it moved, Sakura gripped the rein even tighter, afraid to fall to the ground.

"Wait!" she cried out, but the prince did not even turn around – he was already too far away to hear her, or simply did not want to hear her at all.

_Oh, what should I do? _Sakura felt the panic slowly creep out from the back of her mind. Should she just stay here and not follow him at all? But… wouldn't he be even angrier at her later, when he came back? Then he would probably keep that promise about her punishment…

For a few moments she thought about it and decided to take a risk. Vigorously praying that she was doing it right, she imitated Syaoran's movements and pressed her feet to horse's sides – just a little too hard. The horse stood up on its back hooves and with a terrified yelp, Sakura closed her eyes and locked her hands around horse's neck.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is somewhat a rebound chapter, nothing really happens in it *sorry for that***

**I think that the next one is more exciting, especially the last scene =3**

**Love you all, as always,**

**Nastia**


	7. The Attack

**DISCLAIMER: Most certainly, CCS and SxS or other pairings/characters do not belong to me...**

**A/N: Like I promised, here it is, the next chapter. And it's long o_O**

**Anyway, thank you for giving me the ideas on the question I asked and I hope you will enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - The Attack**

Sakura could feel the horse moving under her. Very cautiously, she opened one of her eyes and almost laughed from happiness – the horse was galloping! It was not as fast as prince's horse and Sakura was still clutching to its neck, but _it was galloping_! She raised her head slightly, afraid that a slight movement would make the horse panic again and looked forward. Somewhere far in front of her, she could see somebody's figure and realized that somehow she was catching up to prince.

It took her a while to adjust and to balance herself and very soon she could confidently – well, almost confidently – sit without holding on to horse's collar.

**::~::**

Syaoran heard a remote "Wait!", but did not slow down. He would _not_ slow down. This servant of his was increasingly getting on his nerves and he was tired enough without that.

Syaoran urged the horse to run faster and shook his head a little. The lack of sleep last night was starting to show its outcomes – Syaoran was beginning to feel slightly dizzy, the eyes closing on its own accord. But that was to be expected. How could he sleep when his life was about to take a drastic turn in the opposite direction? The very thought of getting married just felt unnatural to him. Besides, he did not believe in marriage of convenience, and that was exactly what it was. He felt so… disgusted… even now, thinking about those young women who would arrive very soon; more so when he would meet them.

The only one, who was truly in it for him, was his cousin, Meiling. Syaoran frowned. He grew up with her and knew her very well – she had a twisted character, always getting away with everything she did when she was little, and he did not think that the time could ever change that. She was very aggressive in expressing her wishes too and wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted, that much he knew.

But marriage..? Syaoran smirked as he remembered her when they were just eight years old and her brave, full of confidence and determination, face when she said "I like you, Syaoran. I want you to become my husband."

Syaoran thought to himself and decided that if he most definitely would have to go through with his mother's plan, he would choose Meiling. After all, she already was part of his family and marrying her sounded much more appealing, than marrying someone he barely knew.

He was so completely immersed in his own thoughts, that he barely noticed when Sakura caught up to him. She hesitated before speaking out.

"Um… may I ask where are we going?" Sakura started in an ingratiating voice. He did not answer, but just stared straight ahead.

_Daydreaming?_

"Your Highness?"

Once again – no response. Sakura tilted her head in confusion. Was he still angry with her, or was it something else that made him look so down all of the sudden? For a moment she considered stretching out her hand and touching his wrist to make sure that he was still aware of where he was going, but brushed that idea off almost immediately.

For a while she had forgotten the key matter – she was simply a servant, a maid with no voice and no rights, and he, he was the prince, who she must obey without hesitation. There was no place for her to talk to him unless given permission, let alone touch him.

Sakura sighed heavily. As true as it was, it appeared very disappointing to her. This inability to speak her mind made her feel suppressed; more so now, when she had realized that her earlier behavior was entirely inappropriate, and she couldn't help wanting to blurt out the words of apology.

"Um… Prince Xiao L-"

"Be quiet," Syaoran interrupted her abruptly, making Sakura jerk in surprise. "You are one persistent little wench." He turned to her, smirk slowly spreading across his face. Sakura lowered her head and focused her stare on the reins in her hands.

_Just as I thought. I have no right to speak, at least, not yet._

For a moment they rode in silence, only the rhythmical pace of horse's hooves disturbing the quiet afternoon.

Syaoran made a quick glance in Sakura's direction. Why did she become so silent?

_Because you told her to, _his conscience spoke.

_Still, such peculiar character. This girl's mood changes as unexpectedly as direction of the wind. One minute she speaks so audaciously and there is no stopping her; the other she won't speak at all…_

"Edge of the forest. We are going over there, it's behind the hill," he said it in a very stiff voice, restrained of emotion.

"Y-yes," Sakura replied, bewildered by his sudden outburst. Her voice sounded unsure, as if she was trying not to say anything out of line, but could barely hold herself contained. Her bright emerald eyes were opened so wide, Syaoran couldn't help himself and so he laughed – not the dry, drained of emotion, chuckle he usually used, but relieved kind of laughter, plain and loud.

"What are you scared of?" he asked, still laughing at her.

"Scared… of? Hoe..?" Sakura repeated, trying to understand what he could mean by this.

"Are you scared of _me_?" Syaoran's face had that smirk again and Sakura hesitated.

_What should I tell him?_ she thought in panic. _If I tell him that I _am_ scared of him, prince Xiao Lang could find it offensive, but wouldn't he think that I am being too daring if I tell him I am _not_ scared of him?_

"Well? Answer me," seeing her reaction, Syaoran was very curious. "Now."

"I… I _am_ scared of Prince Xiao Lang," Sakura finally managed to squeeze out and then felt herself blush furiously. She did not really mean it, but there was some truth in what she said. His cold gaze could send the chills down her spine, it was so mystifying. She thought it might be the sense of authority and strength what made it so impossible not to turn away when the prince looked at her like that.

"I see," Syaoran looked ahead of himself and then sprang to the ground, holding the reins. "We are here."

Sakura followed his example and too jumped off the horse, looking around for the first time since their conversation. The place was a simple hunting location; they stood practically in the middle of a widespread meadow. The scenery looked like something from enchanted fairytale. Bright lime grass moved softly with every gust of the wind under the cerulean cover of the sky and Sakura stared, bewildered, at the great flock of variegated butterflies, which must have occupied every single flower in the meadow. Without realizing it, she ran towards the center of the meadow and butterflies swirled around her slim figure, some of them landing on her shoulders and hair as she giggled happily, spreading her hands.

Syaoran stared at Sakura with a look of disbelief and amazement on his face. He let out a barely audible chuckle.

_Che, what a silly girl._

Looking at her, Syaoran suddenly caught himself on a thought that he was actually _jealous_ of her innocence and simplicity. To be so careless and unaware of dangers of life… he couldn't understand how Sakura could continue smiling so naively, given her situation. She was a mere servant now, she had nothing.

He remembered himself in his childhood years. He never got a chance to completely experience it; it'd ended with his father's death when Syaoran was just nine, but before that, before he'd become so good at hiding his emotions behind a cold exterior, he'd been like her, he could say that for sure. But now…

"Hey, are you done making a fool out of yourself? Come back here," his voice echoed at full volume in the stillness of the meadow and Sakura looked up at him, startled.

"Oh, I apologize, Your Highness," she bowed hastily and came up to him, waiting for his next order, but Syaoran tied the reins of the horses to the closest tree and moved in the direction of the forest without a single word; she followed him, trying to keep up with his long stride.

The silence between them did not seem as awkward as before; Sakura simply got used to prince's brooding nature and occupied herself with looking around. The forest was immersed in the shade, only patches of light shining brightly in between the branches of trees. Syaoran moved very fast, it seemed like he wanted to find something; his eyes kept searching as he lifted the branch up above his head and swiftly climbed over the fallen tree.

Suddenly, he stopped and gazed somewhere into the depth of the forest. His hand slowly reached for the rifle behind his back and Sakura finally noticed the dark silhouette of a deer in the thick of the forest.

"Wait-" she mumbled, not sure of what she should do.

"Shh," Syaoran interrupted impatiently, raising one of his hands in an attempt to silence Sakura.

"Er... Your Highness?"

He just ignored her and concentrated on getting into the right position as quietly as he could, then aimed the rifle at the animal. Over the thirteen years he spent without a single hunt, he'd forgotten that raw feeling of fervour he experienced as a child. Syaoran slowly counted down from three, and just as he was about to press on the trigger…

"I am so sorry, Prince Xiao Lang, but I can't allow you to kill it!" Syaoran quickly took his finger off the trigger and gaped at Sakura, baffled by her reaction.

She was standing in front of Syaoran, her hands widely spread, shielding the deer from him.

_How… brave…_ he almost though, lowering the rifle, but then immediately scolded himself. What was she thinking, jumping in front of the weapon like that? Syaoran wasn't the type to hit females, but this particular one made him feel like slapping the back of her head few times.

_How can there be someone so infuriating?_

"Are you insane?" he harshly grabbed one of her hands and pulled her out of the way, almost throwing her to the ground. "I could have killed you. And not that I care about whatever happens to lowly peasant like yourself, but it would greatly spoil _my_ day."

"But you can't kill it!" Sakura protested, once again trying to step in front of him.

"Why can't I?" Syaoran questioned smugly.

"Because- because it is alive and it breathes, just like us!" she put her hand on her chest. "And because it would be very cruel to kill a harmless animal. You wouldn't kill me, then why do you want to hurt the deer?"

"What impudence. To speak to me in such a manner, you've got some guts, you know that? And don't flatter yourself thinking that I value your useless existence more than that of a deer. It's just that it wouldn't be as fun to torture the 'harmless animal' in your place," he smirked and leaned over Sakura, bringing his face closer to hers, causing her to look away. "I can do whatever I want."

Sakura backed away and accidentally stepped on something slippery, which sent her falling for the ground. Syaoran's smirk only grew wider and he turned away, straightening his back.

_What a callous prince_, Sakura thought bitterly, getting herself up from the ground and shaking the leaves off her skirt. _'Useless', he says. At least I am much more useful than him._

"It'd only be better for everyone if such prince didn't exist at all," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Syaoran looked around and noticed that the deer was already gone, scared away by all the noise Sakura was making. He sighed in frustration and then suddenly heard a crack – the sound of a dry twig breaking under something heavy.

"Don't move," he said brusquely, clenching the rifle in his hands. Sakura stopped behind him. The rustling continued, the sound getting closer to them with each second.

And then it stopped.

For few moments Syaoran listened, but the only sounds he could hear were the gentle swishing of the wind through the tops of the trees and lively chirping of birds. His tense shoulders relaxed and he run the hand trough his chocolate hair, shaking his head.

"You made me lose my prey," he stated dryly without turning around and began to walk away. Sakura gulped; prince's voice was as cold as it usually was, but this time, for some odd reason, she could hear the disappointment etched along with sadness. As she'd noticed about herself in the past week – the only week of her life that she could remember – every time she was faced with prince's glare, she either could not say a word, confining her gaze to the floor, or the complete opposite.

"I am sorr-, I mean, I deeply apologize for my behavior, Your Highness Prince Li Xiao Lang!" Sakura spoke, swiftly bowing in the process. Syaoran stopped and then turned around, facing Sakura. She was still bowing, her chopped auburn hair curtaining her face.

For a while Syaoran stood just staring at her with astonishment, fighting the urge to laugh. Inevitably, his mouth slowly spread into a gleeful smile and Syaoran's shoulders shook with chortle, his acid façade fading without a trace.

How could this girl always make him laugh? He simply could not stay angry at her long enough to enjoy it.

_Your Highness Prince Li Xiao Lang? How on earth did she manage to make it so long!_

It felt so natural to laugh, even though there was nothing particularly funny about the situation; Syaoran caught himself on thinking that this girl somehow could magically make his problems seem minor. It felt… refreshing. Before, the only person who could make him let out something remotely resembling a chuckle was Eriol.

This thought brought back his common sense and Syaoran hastily cleared his throat, looking away somewhere into the depth of the forest.

"You are highly amusing," he stated blankly, though the slight hint of a smile still lingered on his face. Sakura looked up at him, letting out a brief sigh of relief. So he wasn't angry after all.

These sudden changes in prince's mood were somehow terribly exhausting for her psyche. She did not appreciate these mind-games, where she would have to continuously wonder what kind of reaction she would get from him, but nonetheless, she was glad that she ended up spending the afternoon with him rather than in the castle, under the scornful stares of other maids and authorities.

This day has been surprising enough to her in many ways. Seeing prince laugh like that in front of her for the first time made her wonder if he truly had the kind-hearted nature.

Sakura silently gazed at the prince, waiting for his orders. He looked ahead and gave the impression that he was deep in his thoughts. It seemed like a very unlikely thing to her, but for a split of a second Sakura could swear that she saw a grin tug on the edges of prince's mouth.

_I probably had imagined it,_ she mused to herself.

As if in response to her thoughts, prince's eyes focused on something behind her and his smile instantly vanished. Before Sakura could understand what was happening, Syaoran pushed her out of the way and she fell on the ground, the soft carpet of dry pine-needles breaking her fall. She heard a loud shot right after that and, startled, instinctively looked in its direction.

The blood froze in her veins as she comprehended the sight in front of her. Sharply, she breathed in the air. There, just about two meters away from her, she could see prince lying on the ground. His hands, extended in front of him, were violently clasping the rifle – at the barrel with one hand and at the stock with another – and on top of him stood a huge snarling cat-like creature. Its head movements were restricted by the rifle, but even so, its front paws were positioned right on the prince's chest and the bared claws ripped directly through the thin material of the frock-coat, wetting it with scarlet stains of blood.

_Wh- what is this monster!_ Sakura thought in terror. She finally felt her breath come out in harsh gasps after holding it for so long. The cat's attention momentarily turned to her as it moved its head in her direction, the growling getting quieter for a split second.

"Run, you idiot!" Sakura could hear the gurgling noise of blood in his throat as prince attempted to yell at her. "I'll hold it off for as long as I can, so just get out of here!"

Her first instinct was telling her to obey him. She was scared – so scared that for a moment she forgot about the rest of the world and almost made saving her own life her priority. At least, that's what she thought.

_My legs won't move. Why do they suddenly feel like they're made of stone? What should I do?_

She looked at the prince. Could she really leave him here all alone to fight against this monster on his own until he no longer had any strength left? A minute ago, the answer would have been 'yes', but now that her mind became clearer, she could not abandon him anymore. Even though the fear made her weak and confused, was there actually something she could do to help?

_There has to be. There just has to._

"I… can't…" her voice came out as a quiet whisper and Syaoran could barely make it out.

"Just… run," he breathed out. Sakura could hear the strain in his voice building up as he lost more and more blood. The cat viciously budged its head, trying to get to his neck as he struggled to defend himself and, without acknowledging her actions, Sakura reached out for the stone she slipped on just a while ago and threw it at the creature. The stone hit its skull with a loud thud, and the creature jerked away with shrill, releasing its hold on Syaoran.

Taking the advantage of cat's reaction, he almost instantly drew his sword out of the case and held it in front of him with both hands, getting into a familiar stance. The animal growled furiously, pouncing in attack, but Syaoran swiftly shifted his position, effortlessly sliding the sword against its neck. Without a single shriek, the cat dropped to the ground motionless, blood spilling in scarlet droplets on its tawny fur.

For a moment, Sakura stood unable to speak, staring at its vast body and trying not to be sick from the sight of so much blood. Finally, she heard the sound of a sword screeching against the case and looked up. Syaoran was slowly limping in the direction they came from, stepping forward little by little. His movements were unsteady and Sakura could see the crimson trace he left behind him as he moved.

Syaoran kept walking forward. Even though the rest of his body felt as cold as ice, he could feel the wounds on his chest burn, causing him to flinch every time he moved forward. But none of this mattered to him. He'd been in a similar situations before, and though it were not nearly as dangerous and as painful as it was now, he learned that the key thing was to keep moving and to stay awake.

After he'd made a few paces, he suddenly found himself disoriented; his vision went hazy and he could no longer see where he was going – everything around him seemed to merge in one indistinct blur. Syaoran felt his head spin and he began to fall only to be held up by something from behind him. He gradually turned his head around and saw Sakura; one of her hands was supporting his back, the other holding his arm beside the elbow. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Let go," it came out more like a plea rather than a command. She didn't listen to him; Sakura slowly placed Syaoran down on the grass, her hands trembling.

"Y-you should probably stay down, please; that way you'll lose less blood," she commented with panicked expression on her face.

"I said let go!" Syaoran shoved her hands away. He had to be angry at her, angry at someone. He felt that otherwise he wouldn't bear the throbbing pain in his chest any longer. And wasn't it this wench's fault anyway? She always managed to get him into all sorts of situations and she kept making him experience different emotions every time. This time, because of her, he felt weak for the first time in many years. It was not because he was wounded – he could overcome it – but because she helped him; she was the first person to let him stay down and rest, the first one to lend him a hand. It made him feel vulnerable.

"You are forgetting that I did not ask of your opinion. I do not _want_ and certainly do not _need_ your help. I need to get to my horse…" he tried to get up, pushing her aside, but the sharp pain in his torso made him lie back down as he let out a suppressed groan. He felt his eyelids become extremely heavy.

_I must stay awake…_ he thought, persistently trying to remain conscious. But he could already feel his whole body turning cold and numb from a vast blood loss. His thoughts became all jumbled up and could not make any sense; Syaoran could no longer see in front of him as if some kind of mist or a thick spider-web curtained his orbs and so he reluctantly closed his eyes, letting the darkness engulf him, his head feebly falling backwards.

Sakura gasped and leaned forward to see if he was still breathing. Hard as she tried, she could not make out any signs of it and she felt her heart uncontrollably race in her chest. She stared at his frock-coat, which acquired a purplish-red tint from all the blood, and her hands instinctively started unbuttoning it.

_I must treat the wound… right?_ she began to unbutton his shirt next. _But how do I know this?_

Under the shirt, there were eight long scratches along Syaoran's chest where the animal ripped the skin with its deadly claws; the cuts oozed with blood rapidly. She with terror noticed that the cuts were deep – even though she was touching prince's chest very lightly, she could still feel the rhythmical pulsating of his heart. Sakura's fingers could feel the warm crimson fluid seep out of the cut flesh. She tried not to look at the scarlet pool of blood, which formed under his body, and intuitively pressed her hands tightly against the grazed wounds.

_What should I do now? What can I do? I need to remember._

Somehow, Sakura was sure that if she could remember who she was, if she could remember _anything_, she would be able to help him. But her mind was empty of any memories from her past; fear and the feeling of despair filled her head and Sakura felt the tears well up in the corners of her eyes. His heartbeat suddenly became weaker as the pulsating slowed down.

And then it stopped.

Sakura gasped and her eyes widened; the disoriented dread was the only obvious emotion written across her face. She stared at Syaoran as the last traces of colour drained from his face and it became slate-white. Deep within her, Sakura sensed the last thread of valour burn away.

"Please, wake up!" she feverishly pressed her hands on his chest again and again, trying to block the streams of blood that leaked out of the wounds. "I didn't mean it when I said that it would be better if you did not exist! I am sorry, so please open your eyes! Please open your eyes, Your Highness…"

She lifted her head up and saw that the sun had already disappeared behind the grey clouds, turning the clear sky completely dark. The wind became stronger; it billowed the dust and the dry leaves up in the air, portending the rain. Another moment passed, and the water droplets furiously drummed down on the vast tree foliage, glistening in the dim light.

The tears streamed down Sakura's cheeks, mixing with the rain. Her skirt and blouse were stained with blood and wet dust, but she still held her hands to Syaoran's chest in attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Please… p-please wake up… I am so sorry… I'll do anything you will order me to, so please…" her quiet sobs faded in with the hushed pounding of the rain.

"**PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP**!"

* * *

**A/N: I was heartbroken when I realized I had to kill the animal. ****No, but really, poor cat. And I'll tell you what kind of animal it is in the next chapter.**

**IMPORTANT: **

**Like you see, Syaoran is already showing some changes, BUT beware - that doesn't mean he's in love with Sakura... yet. It just means that he finds her different from other servants and that is most certainly because she doesn't act like one. She acts more like a friend, and for Syaoran to be forcefully driven to feel friendly towards someone is confusing. So that's why he doesn't know how to react and tries to reject it by showing his 'princely' side, even though this friendliness comes through from time to time.**

**Now about Sakura's sudden change of character from timid and quiet to lively and friendly. Losing your memory means losing your personality along with it, so, since Sakura wouldn't know how she acted before, she would adjust to behave in certain way in given situations. Though as she begins to remember (unknowingly), she gets her personality back and it shines through even though she did not notice it. Thus, given that original CLAMP Sakura in CCS is so cheerful and not meek at all, you can see that she comes back to being herself.**

**Please R&R!**

**Luv,**

**Nastia**


	8. The Miracle

**DISCLAIMER: Nope, I do not own CCS or any of its' characters...**

**A/N: I am so-so lazy. Yeah, I had this chapter ready for ages, I only needed to write up the ending to it, but alas, that never happened... until today (well, 'tonight' to be precise).**

**Woo! Finally some plot development, kinda ;)**

**Enjoy reading!**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - The Miracle**

"**PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP**!"

Her voice rang loudly through the forest, echoing in-between the trees and fading in its shadowed depth. Sakura hesitantly took Syaoran's hand into hers.

"Can you hear me?" she nervously squeezed it as if trying to get through his unconsciousness. "You have to- to breathe, this is the only way you can stay alive, you hear me? You have- no, you **must** stay alive and become the next king to a Lee Kingdom, because you will become a great king! Everyone wants you alive!" She breathed in before continuing "… I want … you to be alive too…"

She didn't know if she truly expected him to wake up or at least for his heartbeat to come back in return for her speech, but prince's body still laid on the ground, without any signs of life and getting colder every passing minute.

Sakura's shoulders shook in silent sobs. She knew nobody would answer, but she clung to this last shred of hope she had and, desperately trying to ignore the cold shower, called out once more.

"Help!"

Suddenly realizing her own mistake, she gasped and covered mouth with her hands.

_Could there be other predators? They might hear me and come here._

Surprisingly, her hands felt warm against the delicate skin of her face – it seemed that they were emitting the warmth that spread from the tips of the fingers and through most of the palm. This warmth brought the feeling of comfort and tranquility, and for a moment Sakura's head was cleared of panic. The bright flash of light locked Sakura's gaze on her palms.

The clear amber spot of light at the tip of each finger glowed vividly; thin threads of similar light paths led down the fingers to the middle of the palm, where the light burst out in glittering rays of tepid radiance.

Sakura stared at her palms, unable to understand what was happening. She had a feeling she remembered something important, something she should do, but at the same time she was so confused that she could not pick out any coherent thoughts. Her hands were trembling; the soft warm feeling transformed into a furious blazing flames, like something was burning her from within.

"Ugh," she bit her lower lip as the burning became more intense. The bright lights slowly crawled from the tips of her fingers to the middle of her palms, forming star-shaped figures.

_It's so hot… I think I am going to be burned alive._

Her hands instinctively moved over the prince's chest, lingering above the wounds and for a split second Sakura could swear that she saw the blood start bubbling as the heat from her hands reached the wounds. The vivid rays of light suddenly blinded her and Sakura closed her eyes, letting the glow engulf her and the prince.

**::~::**

It was cold. He remembered that it was, because he could not move a single muscle as if he was frozen in time, just lying without a single movement. There was no escape from this icy prison; he was trapped, trapped forever in its dreadful claws.

He couldn't even breathe in when he suddenly noticed that his only source of warmth – his wounds – began to freeze over like the rest of his body.

_I am losing a lot of blood. Am I dying?_

This was probably it. Syaoran could not believe he wasted his life so easily. And for whom? For a little servant-girl, who couldn't even follow his orders properly. He wouldn't be in this kind of state now if he'd just let that cougar maul her instead, right?

So quiet and empty. Lonely, almost.

It felt like he was lying there for eternity.

He could not hear a thing. All alone in the dark, Syaoran realized that he was beginning to become afraid. He didn't even know what it was that he was scared of.

_I don't want to die._

Right. He didn't have the chance to say good bye to anyone. What will they do without him? The Lee Kingdom needed an heir, would they find somebody else suitable? Maybe Meiling could take his place; she would make a great queen…

… But, what about that ball? Well, this was just perfect, wasn't it? At least he would have a proper excuse for not showing up. Syaoran let out an inaudible laughter.

Abruptly he felt the sharp pain pierce his chest and then he could feel again. His hands and the tips of his toes were still cold, but, as if swallowed by a heat wave, his torso and upper legs felt like they were burning.

_What is it? Am I in hell?_

Everything returned in its place; he could feel the soaking wet clothes sticking to his body, the cold ground underneath him; he could hear the rhythmical tapping of raindrops…

… And somebody crying?

"Ugh, so noisy…" A voice. His voice? It sounded so hoarse and quiet, as if it was just a whisper.

"I am so-… sorry," came another voice. Surely the one of a girl. Was it her who was crying? Then why?

Syaoran cautiously attempted to open his eyes. The light was dim, but even so he blinked a few times before adjusting his vision and sitting up.

He was in some kind of… cave? The rain was still pounding down outside, but inside where he was sitting it was quite warm and comfortable. He noticed a small fire and a scrawny little girl sitting beside it, her hands on her knees.

"I… am not dead?" Sakura remained silent.

How did he end up in this cave? Did Rin bring him here herself all the way from the place where he killed the giant cat?

Syaoran slowly touched his chest where the wounds were supposed to be and felt slightly damp cloth that was wrapped around his torso. There was no pain, but his wounds were itching.

_There is something weird about those bandages…_

He began to unwrap the bandage.

"Don't- …!" Sakura darted her hand forward in stopping motion. Syaoran paused. Hesitating, she withdrew her hand and coughed awkwardly. "… I mean, please don't take it off, Your Highness, your wounds are not properly healed yet. Umm… you can only take them off after few days, after they heal…"

"I want to see them," Syaoran stubbornly continued to untangle the wet cloth as Sakura gaped at him in disbelief.

_No! He will see them- I have to come up with some explanation fast!_

"Why were you crying?" he asked suddenly, bringing her back to reality from a deep thought. Her eyes widened and she hurriedly wiped the remainder of the tears from her face, pulling her lips in a forceful half-smile.

"I was just- I didn't really cry, I'm just… ha- happy that you are feeling all right and are finally conscious, Your Highness!"

"Who said that I'm all right?" prince muttered under his breath. He took off the bandages and finally realized what it was that made these bandages seem so unrealistic – there was no blood on them. The blood on his wounds was dry and was keeping them from bleeding any further.

There was no way it would get better that fast.

"What on Earth…" Syaoran looked up at the girl. "… I don't feel any pain. And, Rin, the bandages..?"

"I found some… um… herbs while you were unconscious, and that's why- … I mean Your Highness's wounds, they just-"

"Enough!" Syaoran glared at her, not knowing which made him more furious, the fact that she lied or the fact that she lied so evidently and expected him to believe her. "Tell me the truth. How..?"

He was lost for words, it was just too strange. He looked her right in the eyes, but she didn't answer and only stared back at him, a terrified expression spreading across her face.

"Answer me, NOW!" he shouted as he got up and walked towards the girl. Sakura flinched away, closer to the wall of the cave, covering the face with her arms.

"Hey…" she heard a quiet murmur. "Did you think I was going to hit you?"

She nodded.

"I don't make it my hobby to hit women," he informed her dryly, sitting beside her and looking into space. She lowered her arms.

"Besides," Syaoran continued "I don't know how and I can't possibly start to imagine why, but you probably… saved my life."

He turned to look at her again and saw the tears welling up in her eyes.

"You crying again? Don't think that I owe you anything for it though. I still was the one to save you first."

"I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to put you in danger like that," she stood up in front of him and bowed, lowering her head as low as she could. "From now on I won't ever do or say anything that would oppose your wishes!"

Syaoran looked at her from head to toes and chuckled "You're a mess."

Sakura belatedly noticed that her clothes was soaking wet, stains from blood and rain mixing together and marking her skirt and blouse with an unpleasant taupe shade. Half of her skirt was ripped so that she could make bandages for the prince and her shopped hair was drenched in rain, some wet strands of hair sticking to her forehead.

"You may sit now," this just didn't amuse him anymore. Suddenly, a mischievous grin spread across Syaoran's face "And~ will you really do as I say?"

Sakura gave him a firm nod "Yes, Your Highness."

"Then… kill yourself."

The girl gulped in shock and stared at him. She didn't expect that at all. Was he joking?

Syaoran reached for his sword and took it out, the blade glistening in the dark as it reflected the dancing tongues of the flame. He extended the hand with the sword to a girl, studying her reaction.

"You are a witch aren't you? It's only fair that you take your own life. I wouldn't want to stain my hands with your filthy blood."

Sakura couldn't believe it. Wasn't he being nice to her just moments ago?

_I am… a witch? I am not, right? He- he's insane, isn't he? He is deliberately taking the advantage of my promise and now I have to kill myself? What kind of game is he playing now?_

She took the sword from his hands and sighed before placing the sword to her throat.

… _I don't even know myself who I am anymore. The prince risked his life to save me. But then why? Why did he do it in a first place?_

"You are not going to do it?"

"I… As you wish, Your Highness."

Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her hand trembling.

_I have to do it after all. A promise is a promise. Nobody forced me to give such a promise, I'm such a loudmouth! If only I was smarter… but it doesn't matter now. I'll do it. Why are my hands trembling? It will be all over so soon. Just do it already- !_

A hand touched her wrist.

"You can stop, Rin," prince sounded disappointed. "It was all a joke anyway, there's no such thing as witches; and besides, I would be a fool to kill you now after I've went to such lengths to save you. So you can put the sword down."

Sakura jumped up in surprise "Hoe?"

Syaoran smirked bitterly "I actually… waited for you to deny it yourself. You cannot expect someone to treat you as a person if you can't even treasure your own life. In any case, I want to leave here and return to the castle as fast as I can, so hurry up and move."

**::~::**

The clouds scattered across the evening sky as the last signs of rain faded away and the sun appeared above the horizon once again. The droplets of rain on the grass sparkled with a soft glow and Sakura looked up, amazed at the vast rainbow that stretched over their heads from one end of the sky to another. The tension between her and prince was apparent; neither of them spoke a single word since they left the cave.

Sakura have already ran the same idea in her head for couple of hours and it sounded more convincing every time she thought about it. That was probably it.

It was all a dream.

She was just traumatized by seeing so much blood and started hallucinating. Now she was almost sure she had imagined everything. She did not save the prince, because his heart had never stopped in a first place. All she'd done was unconsciously bring him to the cave and bandage up the wounds.

_It's like His Highness said; there is no such thing as witches._

She shuddered at the thought of it and looked in front of her.

It was all good. She could think of herself as a normal girl again. Witches, magic and legends about monsters that lurk in the dark, they're all just fairytales.

_There is no such thing._

"… no such thing," she muttered quietly, but then hastily covered her mouth with her hand. The prince turned his head in her direction "What did you say?"

"Ah- I just- I said I was happy that we are both alive!" for a second, Sakura let go of the reins which she nervously clasped in her hands and almost fell off the horse, but regained her balance in time.

_Happy to be alive, huh?_

"Speed up, I haven't got all day," he replied, pressing the sides of his steed with force. Storm neighed loudly, getting up on its back legs, and galloped forward, leaving behind only a trail of sand dust. Sakura sighed loudly, already used to this scenario, and also pressed the sides of her horse, following prince in close proximity. As they approached the castle's gates, they heard voices of people – servants – who were waiting for them to arrive.

"His Highness is back!" some man shouted from the top of observation tower to others who stood below, and they immediately surrounded his horse, helping Syaoran to get down, taking his horse to the stables and exclaiming at the sight of his wet and torn clothes.

Sakura jumped off the horse and watched from nearby, trying not to get in the way. Then she felt something lightly brush her shoulder. She turned around swiftly and almost bumped into someone.

"What vigor you possess so late in the afternoon," Seiju Mitsuo smirked with a triumphant ring to his voice and Sakura backed away.

"Ah, Seiju-sama, I am so very sorry," she bowed in a hurry, ready to run away, but Mitsuo got a hold of her wrist before she could move.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk," he shook his head in disapproval as he looked her over from head to toes and pulled her closer, leaning in to whisper into her ear "There is something I need to confirm before you can go running off to your little prince's side. Follow me."

Sakura obediently followed him inside the castle and through the endless corridors to the room which was prepared for one of the guest-princesses. Coming into the room after Mitsuo, Sakura recognized the faces of head-maid and Ine – the other maid that offered her help with sheets just this morning.

"That's her!" the head-maid exclaimed, pointing her finger in Sakura's direction. "She was the one I ordered to prepare the bed for princess Aoifa."

Sakura glanced over to the bed and saw a dead rat wrapped inside the silk and blood stains all over the sheets. From a corner of her eye Sakura thought she saw Ine trying to stifle giggle.

"I see," Mitsuo replied calmly and turned around, leaving the room "You know what to do next, right?"

"Yes, Seiju-sama," the head-maid nodded, and only now Sakura have noticed two guards standing behind her on both sides of the door. They firmly gripped her arms and pushed her forward out of the room.

"Bring her to the back yard, where the pole is," head-maid commented as Sakura stumbled and fell on the wooden floorboards "And whip her thoroughly."

* * *

**A/N: I am so tired for some kind of coherent note, so please, if you have any particular questions about what was happening in this chapter or any other chapters, fire 'em at me, I'll reply as opposed to writing a long 'explain the whole story in under 500 words' thingy :)**

**Oh, and wasn't it kind of totally awesome how Syaoran did not end up dead? :P**

**P****lease R&R!**

**As always, luv,**

**Nastia**


End file.
